The Attraction Effect
by kissthesebrokenwings
Summary: "While, metaphorically, we could say that if his team was in danger, Sasuke would cut his heart out and trade it... though I think that he'd still try to bargain with the enemy.  But see, if it were her in this position…" AU Sasuke/Hinata
1. Chapter 1

**The Attraction Effect**

Summary: "Let's get this fairy tale out of your head and let's make it quick Sakura" He pulled his head back to stretch his neck, the muffled sound of splintering heard, followed by a soft groan, "While, metaphorically, we could say that if his team was in danger, Sasuke would cut his heart out and trade it, he'd still try to bargain with the enemy. But see, if it were her in this position…" He paused for effect, "he would cut his heart out himself and give it for free, metaphorically of course." It didn't ease the situation. AU Sasuke/Hinata

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

This is an (AU) alternate universe fic and circles around spy life. It's all made up. Inspiration was drawn from all the spy movies and shows I've been watching lately.

Rated M, just in case. This is a Sasuke/Hinata fic, though Sakura does play a main role.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**This is the Team**

Sakura was in a mood greater than good – as that seemed to be possible. She was ecstatic and was starting to believe that this was due to a golden entity or rule in the universe known as karma – good karma in this case – that stated that if you do good, good will come to you tenfold – or whatever the saying was. All that needed to be known was that she was in a good mood.

She had passed her analytical test with flying colors, known by her professor, Tsunade – who preferred to be called Lady Tsunade – as brilliant and thoughtful for her generation with the mind of an endless spinning wheel. _"It's clockwork"_ Tsunade had said, a rare grin on her face, _"Your brain that is. You see, it doesn't just collect information, analyze it, then spit it back out. We've got computers for that" A_ wry chuckle followed. _"But yours, it takes whatever it's given and looks at it from all angles, tests it, and of course, analyzes it before giving us a final product that fits in the rest of the puzzle. That-" _she had carelessly thrown back a stray curl of blonde hair that had tickled her pale skin moments ago, _"is exactly what we need. You, Sakura, have received a high honor to join one of our best teams in Konoha."_

"_Which one?" _she couldn't help but ask, smooth fingers curling into fists at the excitement, a small light of anticipation glimmering in emerald orbs. She had edged forward in her seat like a restless child – quite unbecoming for someone of her caliber as Tsunade would have said - in the dim conference room, a room known solely for judgment; for people who had slaved over their studies in the field had made it into the real world and for those who were going to endure another five years of endless theory work once more. It was impossible to get in without a sealed recommendation and even more impossible – let's humor the vocabulary - to get out without being shot on sight. Not that anyone would have wanted to leave the nicely kempt facility that promised prestige and fame through name as many who had left the training school had become great and monumental; no sarcasm intended.

"_Number Seven" _was the flat answer, and it would have seemed emotionless for someone who had commented Sakura on her brilliant mind, but a subtle response and a slight downward curve of the lady's elegant brows hinted worry. _"Remember what you learned in here and take it with you to the real world, because one mistake means many lives gone. Do you understand that Sakura?" _And the pink-haired female knew that that would be the last time she would hear such a commanding tone from her professor; the one who had taken her in without a doubt and made her into the person she was today – and that cliché was absolutely necessary to drive the point home.

"_Yes Maim"_ and she had been ushered to the front door; a steel gate with a tremendous size, a direct contradiction from the white walls on the interior, meant to keep people wanted in and others not needed out. Sakura found herself uncharacteristically, but eagerly lean towards the door as it opened, the slight creaking sound it made as it groaned under its own weight stirred the pot of mixed emotions in her gut. There was a light and to most, it would have meant that it was somewhere around mid-day or that the sun was out, but to her, it meant that freedom was in front of her and that there was light at the end of the tunnel. For the five years she had been studying in the bleakness of the classrooms – metaphorically speaking, of course, for she had enjoyed Lady Tsunade's classes very much - she was now going to get the field experience she had been hoping for. It would make her parents proud, more so than when they had realized that she had been recommended into the analytical course by Tsunade herself.

(o)(O) 3:00pm (O)(o)

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the brains Tsunade was talking about" The male who chose to spoke was pale, unexpectedly pale – the sort of pale that would make people ask if he had seen a doctor lately of if he had some sort of illness that made him resemble a blank slate – and Sakura took note of that, which must have been obvious because the man smiled; a fake smile – she noted this mentally once again. He was dressed casually – consisting of all black, pants and a shirt - for someone in such an elaborate laboratory, which she discovered, was littered with weapons and other devices. Computers were everywhere and lights would go off blinking erratically every few seconds.

"Y-yes, and you must be Sai" she answered politely after a quick look around with discerning eyes, smoothly reaching out to grip his hand.

"Turtle"

She paused mid shake, "umm, what?"

He smiled calmly – that fake smile again. "It was a stroke of genius you know. Your eyes" he pointed out, quite pleased, "are a lovely shade of green, like a Turtle. So your code name is in fact, going to be turtle. Nice name, yes? Because I'm sure Tsunade told you that the second you leave the facility and come into our custody, you become a part of our team, like a limb to a body" He noticed Sakura's smile at that, "But don't get comfortable with that term because that means when one of us is hit, the rest suffers. It comes with being ANBU. We do exactly what our leader says and we do it together seamlessly. Usually that requires training together, but the Lady insists that you'll fit right in." He stopped to do something on a touch screen at his left, swiveling calmly in his chair before looking back at Sakura. "That's good for us…and you, I suppose …Turtle"

Said female blinked in response, "Umm, yes, I see. So what should I call you?"

He mimicked her, "Umm, well, Sai of course" Then he smiled again and he seemed to toss those around as easily as his sarcasm, Sakura dryly noted, "Only inside the zoo, we call each other by our given names" He urged on at the confused look, "Zoo, as in our base. Code name again you see" At the pinkette's nod, he continued slowly, "Outside of the zoo" he gestured with his hands, "I'm called sloth. Naruto is fox and Sasuke is raven. Got it?"

"The rest of our teammates I presume" she replied at the extra information.

"Smart girl" he turned to grab her a chair, swiveling it effortlessly to her side – he seemed to favor the swiveling seats – and continued, "The other two are out on a mission, but the minute they get back, we introduce you and then de-brief" another smile followed, "I'm afraid we won't have a welcoming party"

Sakura only nodded and took the chair, "So what do I do first?"

There was silence on the other end for a second before that smile was plastered on his face again, "Wow, down to business already. It's great having a newbie." He rolled in his chair as she thought of whether he was being sarcastic again or not, "Nothing to do really, hence the name I received, or maybe it's cause people think I'm lazy, or something like that" He shrugged it off carelessly.

She was stunned for a moment. "W-well, ok" and turned to stare blankly at the computer screen, praying to not have an awkward situation.

Awkward silence settled like a mist over the room almost immediately.

There was a sigh, "Alright Sakura, if it's killing you to not be doing anything, I suppose I can hand you some files to analyze." He stood and went through a well hidden door in the corner of the room that she had never seen before; there probably was a very obvious purpose to it. "Constantly tapping your feet on the floor was driving me crazy you know" he stated bluntly, voice muffled from being in the other room, "Women and their heels and their blouses and whatever…" The rest was muffled, but he came out seconds later –quick enough to catch her pink cheeks lighting into a soft red – and placed said files gently in front of her on the glass table. "These files are a puzzle" he continued, seating himself once again, "For me at least, but what do I know? I'm just a mechanist and the other two are just ANBU spies, so there's no hope in them." Sai was back to being occupied with his touch screen when it went off with a soft beep. "See what you can figure out with that information and report your findings to me asap"

He looked to be busy so as Sakura started to open the page and pull out her portable touch screen, Sai cut in again, frazzling her, "Oh yes, one more thing." He looked directly at her, "The moment Sasuke comes back, I think its best that you hide those files. It's still sort of a soft spot for him" His smile almost turned into a grimace, "You'll notice him right away. Tall, dark and broody. Completely cruel but amazing at his job. Naruto though…" a genuine quirk of the lips, "…is special"

He gave her no time for questions and went back to work.

Sakura opened the file and skimmed the first page in interest, then it turned into intrigue.

_A girl?_

She was the same age as her, 23. There was a picture on the far right of an opal eyed woman with jet black hair that trailed a little past her shoulders. She was smiling timidly.

Emerald orbs lowered to the stats.

Name: Hyuuga Hinata

Age:23

Description: Father owns a small company known as Hyuuga Corp. Deceased wife. No criminal record on all members.

Civilian.

Missing.

Sakura frowned. The description was small, if not minimal. _A civilian? _She bit her pen. It was a habit she had gotten over the years whenever information presented herself. _What makes her special? _And she flipped to the next page, the soft crinkling sound it made served as the small noise the room would make apart from Sai's occasional yawns.

There were a lot of marks on the next page, some highlights and some pen work with the occasional drag of a pencil that had been erased poorly.

The page was written in an almost eligible scrawl.

_Whereabouts of Hyuuga Hinata are unknown as she has been missing since December. Suna has been searched and the best lead implies that Kirigakure is the most likely location at the moment. The place will be searched in early January. With the request of aid, the estimated time of a full grid search would take a total of a month and three days, granted that any local spies in the vincity do not wage a war or begin a feud…_

She skimmed to the end.

It was marked three years ago. _She's been missing for three years and it seems that finding her is crucial because 'aid' was requested. _She bit her lip._ But she's a civilian. Does she have information that's important to the – but no, it would have been listed on her stats page. There's something missing if all of Suna was searched and they had their sights set on Kirigakure right after._

She turned to ask Sai something, but he seemed to be staring straight ahead at one of the surveillance cameras. In sight was a shock of ruffled blonde hair and beside the frantic wave the man gave to the camera with a grin and a cheesy thumbs up sign, there was a raven-head beside him.

He leaned against the wall beside the doorframe. He said something and turned to knock on the door.

The sound resonated in the otherwise quiet room.

Sai frowned, standing up with a grace that didn't seem to belong to him. "I've got it. You just quickly close those files and return them on the corner left shelf in that backroom. Don't mess up" He gave a cool stare that seemed serious for once, "and then I need you to close the door and come back out… I'll introduce you to the rest of the team properly after" He took languid steps to the door as she hurriedly straightened the numerous sheets of paper neatly – as Sai's look and the scene called for it – and was about to enter the room when Sai called out, "Hurry for me would you Turtle?" He chuckled, but it seemed off – not light, as intended, but by then, Sakura wasn't focusing on his strange behavior, but putting the file in the empty left compartment as ordered and quickly shutting the door before approaching the male again.

In his place was cool midnight black eyes with a similar shock of hair that seemed almost tamed, though in odd angles which oddly, suited the male's face. "This is…" his voice was crisp and low, a tremor that travelled down Sakura's spine – and it would have been in a good sort of movie way if not for the barest ice at the edge and glassy look he portrayed so easily.

"Sakura-"

Sai was cut off abruptly, "-who was just in that room a second ago looking through personal files when we haven't even met her yet to see if she's a reliable asset." His voice never rose though it was angry. No, it was a dull monotone – which only made Sakura jump, waiting for him to snap out like a wild dog, "What were you looking at?"

Her brain froze – her lovely reliable brain that could have gotten her out of the situation. She would have immediately answered with the truth if not for Sai's equivalently frosty look.

"Nothi-"

"It was Hinata's files wasn't it?" he dismissed her as she met his back, "Sai, I don't need help and I definitely don't need help from someone who just came out of that useless school institute their running."

"Hey, calm down man" was the blonde's retort, presumably Naruto, "She's our new teammate, remember?" Though his voice had a certain rasp to it, it was low, gentle, and soft and it did wonders to calm the raven-head down as his once glassy gaze turned to a bored countenance. His shoulders slumped just a bit. "See? We're good now, so we're going to turn around slowly and make friends with the pretty girl behind us" He smiled sloppily at Sakura, followed by a wink.

Cool, Sasuke did just that.

She heard Sai let out a loud breath.

When Sasuke grasped her fingers for a handshake, she felt a shock go through her, something she couldn't explain, or possibly could. His hands had been frigid after all so it probably made her shiver a bit – no, of course, it wasn't one of those cliché love at first sight sort of things, cause that certainly didn't happen – so it was perfectly explainable.

"M'dear" and Naruto kissed the back of her palm after Sasuke's brisk welcome.

His smile was genuine.

(o)(O) 8:00pm (O)(o)

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura said after a while, her voice soft in the lab.

Naruto had been wheeling around in the rolling chair, a pen in his left ear as he occasionally absent-mindedly marked something on a file before returning to his spinning. He was also wearing all black, and the blonde hair seemed to be a beacon in his environment. He hummed as he worked, so it was never quiet – something Sakura was beginning to appreciate – but the odd swear would escape him whenever something he found annoying on the sheet in front of him would wreak havoc. Despite his constant distracted state, he seemed intent on his work – an outstanding oxymoron, in a sense.

Sai was busying himself with something on the touch screen and was holding a square slab of metal that seemed important because every few seconds, he would glance at it with a glare marring his otherwise fine features – apart from the very pale skin – and then, he would return to something on the screen.

They turned to her.

"Back room" was the curt reply from them both, almost in complete unison before Sai returned to his work.

Naruto elaborated, "Sasuke is hard at work, so let's just leave it at that. And don't blame Sai" he cut in, earning a brief icy look from said male, "he just wanted to make you feel welcome, so he let you look a little through Hinata's file. Sasuke's a natural ass anyway."

"Naruto-"

"You see, Sai's just scared of Sasuke because those files are like Sasuke's babies and apparently it's not ok for anyone to look at them until Sasuke deems them worthy."

The blonde seemed to cringe at his own words, which Sakura struck as strange.

"Any way, he'll be out later, so why don't you get some sleep. We'll definitely have something for you to do tomorrow. Alright?"

Sakura nodded and stood, but let out a breath and stated, "What is Hinata?" she corrected herself confidently, "To this group I mean?"

The paler one of the two responded immediately, "A ghost" He jammed his finger on the touch screen and it sparked.

Naruto turned to his work.

"Go to sleep Sakura"

So she did.

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><p>I'd like to know how many people are actually interested in this story. Reviews are asked for and would be appreciated.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Rated M, just in case. This is a Sasuke/Hinata fic, though Sakura does play a main role.

Chapters do get longer over time as I'm trying to get the hang of this.

Reviews influence faster updates and are always appreciated. This chapter is dedicated to those who reviewed right away. I'm terrible at showing gratitude, so my thanks are in this chapter.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**To be Worthy**

(o)(O) Suna 2:49pm(O)(o)

Sand seemed to melt under Hinata's feet, the breeze littered with the same substance that entered her nose and mouth to the point that she could taste its putrid essence of bloodshed; the grainy texture serving as a reality shot. The sun was still high, relentlessly pounding on her haggard back and the wind howled at all sides. Her breaths were coming out in quick pants and her sandals repeatedly filled themselves with Suna's essence before emptying then repeating the tiring cycle.

Still, she continued to run, throwing the large scroll clutched in a vice under her nimble fingers into the safety of the strap attached to the inside of her light sweater; the same color as the sand for possible camouflage.

And when she had gotten used to the rhythm her constant pants and plodding had done, a shot rang into the air; a warning to her.

Despite baser instinct – the fight or flight inquiry – she turned around and if it had been years ago, she would have continued to run until the sand had buried her into its cold belly.

"Good to see you have sense woman" the lone man who had followed her had nothing special. He had short, cropped hair the color of the sand with a green vest – bullet proof, most likely - and black pants that trailed to his sandals. He smirked, "Look, just hand over the scroll and instead of the death sentence, you'll get life imprisonment."

The raven-haired female chocked and backed up, falling flat on the floor in earnest, "Please just let me go" she whimpered, unconsciously looking around for any more agents of Suna.

It was wind and sand for miles.

"I can't" the spy growled in return, "I don't know how you did it, but you infiltrated a sacred temple here though it was surrounded by guards and managed to escape without causing alarm except for me, and I just so happened to see you" he reached into his pocket for his weapon, "and you're asking me to let you go?" he cocked it; ready and loaded, "You're as pathetic as you look, so, you must be either really strong, which I doubt, or you must have had help, and I don't see anyone coming to save you for miles. So you can come with me peacefully and I won't have to drag your body to the Kazekage."

He pointed the gun at her head.

"N-no"

He shot her left shoulder and quickly pointed back to her head.

Hinata shrieked and hit the sand floor, rolling herself into a fetal position and held back her sobs. The crimson liquid leaked into the ground and the sand seemed suddenly restless and entered a frenzy, causing the wind to pick up in a feral response.

The male walked up next to her cautiously, the anxious predator against the wounded prey. "Look, I don't want to kill you, so just turn yourself in." He leaned in and noticed her slow breathing, followed by a soft squelching sound. Her right hand came into view, the bullet clenched in her hand and she finally let out a wracked sob. It shook her whole body. Then the bullet harmlessly rolled itself into the sand, blood drizzling off it from the biting wind.

"Wha-" he started.

"I'm sorry" and Hinata's foot kicked out towards his chest and sent the spy reeling back in shock more than actual pain. His gun went flying and tossed around in the wind before plummeting into the depths of the warm Suna floor.

The opal-eyed female took her stance, a foot away from him, as if the position was well-learnt, "Byakugan." She adjusted her weight to the balls of her feet, and tried to ignore the pain, though the blood kept oozing out.

"Wait, how do you kn-"

"Eight trigrams, thirty-two palms"

A sequence of attacks began and suddenly, everything went dark.

"I'm sorry, but I've only just made you immobile with slight nerve damage. You'll be fine." The small female looked around frantically, "I have to go." With that, Hinata turned to run, this time, unhindered and a constant companion with the wind.

(o)(O) Konoha 3:00pm(O)(o)

"_Password"_

The voice on the other end of the thick steel was a robotic monotone – reminding Sakura immediately of the chillingly brass tone that belonged to Sasuke, though thinking of his name further caused nervousness and agitation – and she found herself at a loss. There was a small white box attached to the left of the door – probably Sai's work, as he had said that he was the mechanist – which held a small talk screen. It glowed a gentle blue and the pinkette found herself looking at it. She didn't know the password –surprise, surprise - as she had left in such a haste the night before – fleetingly on the subject of 'Hinata' who seemed to be a 'ghost' as Sai had grudgingly, though heavily implied - and the pinkette wasn't the least bit keen on what it could have been; the password, that is.

She stood her ground for a minute, a step away from her new occupation – though, more specifically, a slab of concrete and possible other security measures away from her new occupation; the one she had studied five years for. At the previous night, she had exited from another door and getting out had not required a password and – oh heavens – she needed it right now to get in.

Her mind scrambled for phrases, any phrases that Sai had used so earnestly the day before, as she had spent a large sum of time in his care before the other two had arrived. There was 'turtle' – but that would have not made sense because, though it was her code name, it would have not been the password that her teammates would have tossed around so easily nor given to her as an alias. Raven, fox or sloth were out of the question as they were the alias's of the rest; once again, not a wise choice, especially if they were used so often and could again be used to open an underground base.

"_Password"_ was the more immediate and louder tone the robotic voice dispelled once again, startling the female out of her reverie and Sakura realized that she was still standing there, dumfounded.

Maybe it was 'zoo'? The base's code name; and it still didn't make sense.

"Zoo" she blurted out because she didn't know anything else.

"_Negative. Initializing security measures." _

Sakura took a step back in slight worry at what that would mean – a lockdown of the base perhaps – and then she worried that it would have been some sort of weapon of mass destruction that would appear to attempt to rid the threat. Knowing that her team was indeed a special case when it came to standings in the ANBU, it was completely alright to be nervous of the consequence – and all she had wanted was the password – and for a second, outside of her racing heart beat – she wished that she had asked for the password from Sai from the day before. It was a stupid error on her part and she was living the regret at the moment, it seemed.

There was something akin to a slight whirring sound before a computer popped out of the door she had been trying to gain access to. It's sleek black front suggested that it was new and the surrounding crystal clear frame hinted that it was well kempt. A keyboard automatically unfolded itself from the back and the computer edged itself towards her as if it were a peace offering.

Cautiously – or more like a skidding new born doe – she approached the screen. The gentle whirring mingled with her thudding beat.

Upon close inspection, Sai's face popped up. Large black eyes met hers through the suddenly alight screen and Sakura immediately noticed the rest of the team in the background. The room was brightly lit; the glare casting soft glows on the features of the men. Sasuke was far in the back, doing something akin to writing a report while Naruto was to his left, dozing against the table, a rolling chair keeping him propped up. The light sounds of snoring; scratching of pen on paper and the constant whirring of the building could be heard.

Sai looked almost apologetic, but his brows were tightly furrowed and his mouth formed into an equally uncomfortable smile – which seemed to the pinkette as a grimace. "Sorry there Sakura" he turned to look behind him for a second, "I was testing the system with a new password prompt. But things weren't going smoothly." He pointed to himself, "Mechanist mind here you see, not tech pro."

"It's alright" Sakura replied slowly, placing a hand over the other unconsciously in a vice.

"Hold on a second and I'll get you in"

She noticed his pale fingers disappear from the vantage point followed by steady clicks and the sounds of a keyboard before he smiled – that fake smile again, "Come on in."

The steel doors – at least a few meters of slab – that had once seemed so menacing parted for her with a light groan, displaying a short corridor leading to another door on the inside. That door did not look heavily guarded at all and most likely lead into the zoo – code name for 'base' she fondly remembered – thanking her addled brain for such a simple recovery. Yes, she was getting used to things.

The pinkette returned his gesture, though a little bit hesitantly, and walked in, back straight and body tense.

The dim glow of the room was the first thing she noticed, followed by the blinking lights attached to several devices that littered the room messily the computers, the large weapons locker in the far left corner that took up the whole wall and finally, she saw the hidden room door. The base seemed less interesting at that moment and she realized it was probably because the initial shock of her new work environment had passed fleetingly.

"Hey Turtle" Sai was the first to speak, "Did you sleep well?"

She returned the pleasantries easily, "Yes, the new flat Lady Tsunade placed me in is nice" she cocked her head to the side, "I was afraid that it would be heavily guarded for team member protection. I was just glad to only see a few" Sakura wasn't stupid. She knew that the moment she had set foot into the base, there would be some sort of security measure put out on her to ensure she did not put out the location of the base or even contemplate the idea of going rogue. In addition, the base was in a remote location outside of Konoha, protected by Lady Tsunade herself. To try to enter if not a part of the special team – number seven – was like signing a death warrant. Now, all Sakura acknowledged that she would be losing was a bit of her privacy.

Said male nodded and gestured to a chair beside him.

The female took the seat comfortably, easing in with whatever grace she possessed and looked over her teammate – dressed in all black again as usual. The other two were also garbed in the same color.

Unfortunately, and almost reluctantly, emerald orbs flickered behind her and she noticed that Sasuke had not looked at her once.

After a moment of silence, Sakura looked back to the mechanist, "So, you said you'd have something for me to do today?" her light inquiry startled Naruto to an upright position. He looked around dazedly before he moved closer to Sasuke and fell back to sleep. The raven-head seemed unfazed with this and continued to work in his calm, collected manner, pen scratching on paper; unhindered.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I do have something for you to do." Sai reached under the glass desk and immediately, the pinkette noticed the heavy files littered at his feet. He smiled at her look – the smile that she was beginning to grow used to – and stated comfortably, "These need to be ordered in such a way that makes sense. I don't know exactly how these files are related, but I'm sure that with your quick mind, you'll figure something out, turtle."

She nodded in turn and took the bunch from him, swiveling to her right to make more room for herself and a brief sense of calm and familiarity enveloped her as she opened the first set from the pale peach folder.

"Actually, there's no time for that." The low, almost sultry tone made Sakura jump, "We're going out Sakura." Sasuke stood, uncharacteristically careful enough to inch slowly away from Naruto to insure the blonde male didn't go and hit his head against the floor in his sleep. He inclined his head, gesturing to the door, "C'mon"

Her response was slightly strained as she copied his movements rigidly, "A-alright"

Sai only shrugged, turning away from them, and began to tinker with his touch screen "Well, the work will be here for you when you come back Turtle, so look forward to it"

They hurried outside –well, Sasuke did and Sakura rushed to stay in step with him – and the base closed behind them. The remote location came into view, the green leaves of the nearby trees glowed from the afternoon sun, healthy, despite the slightly hot weather. Birds were basking in the light breeze that worked its way through the branches as nests remained firm.

Sakura enjoyed these simple pleasures, but apparently her raven-eyed partner was already ahead of her by a few feet. He tossed a look of annoyance behind his back – completely icy and heartless – and motioned for her to move faster, "C'mon" he repeated.

"Where are we going?" was the first thing she blurted out, a little excited, but worried. An ANBU spy like him wouldn't just go anywhere or everywhere without a reason.

"Dress shopping" was his curt answer and for a second, Sakura was startled – the kind of befuddlement that knocked people literally off their feet – and she made a move to ask why. Butterflies began to bubble up in her stomach in a different sort of nervousness – one she couldn't begin to understand.

"We're going on a mission and are posing as a married couple"

The butterflies exploded.

(o)(O) 7:00pm (O)(o)

"Is this alright?" was the curt question Sakura asked – for the third time – as she glanced curiously at the ring comfortably placed on her finger, "It looks expensive" and she looked to the environment that surrounded her. Light blue drapery hung on the windows, which were large enough to encase the whole view of the setting sun. The grand hall they were currently in was surrounded with equally flourished people wearing elegant dresses and suits while sipping champagne. Sakura herself was adorned in a red dress that Sasuke had deemed nice on her – catching the pinkette off guard at the comment – but losing her good grace when he added that blood would easily blend into it if they were to get into a fight with enemies. The raven-head himself had chosen an eloquent black suit – matching his usual black on black attire.

"This whole place is expensive," he retorted, turning to look at her with a smile – a rare smile that left her unguarded once more. She didn't have to know Sasuke for a long time to realize that smiles from him were not a common occurrence. He flashed his matching silver ring at her, grabbing a hold on her fingers, and inquired, "Let's mingle with the rest of the guests, shall we, love?"

A blush stained her face almost immediately as a few turned their head to them and giggled, "Ah, young love. What a cute pair. Honey, we should go on another honeymoon" and "Dear, how about we take a night off for romancing" and "Aren't they adorable? It's great to be young" followed by, "a toast to love, yes?"

Sakura ducked under Sasuke's arms, playing the part of a blushing bride – and playing it rather well – in the party they were set to infiltrate.

"_We're there to not cause a scene, but to lay low and mingle with the other party members" _Sasuke had strapped a gun to the inside of his shirt, _"We don't know who else is possibly an enemy, so just be careful with what you say." _He had hid a knife at the sole of his shoe, _"Under no circumstances are you to give any information on your involvement to the ANBU. You are strictly an asset to this mission. Do you understand this Sakura?"_

The pinkette had cringed at that and had straightened her dress a little, _"Sorry, I'm just a little nervous"_

Sasuke had sighed, _"I'll protect you, so just sell the situation and make it believable"_

"_O-ok"_ and for a second, Sakura had only heard the first part of the sentence.

They headed to the dance floor, which in fact, was the middle of the ballroom, marked by a rather large ornate rug that accented the rich environment. Sasuke's hand was tightly linked with hers and Sakura noticed that he had muscles hidden well under the suit – no, it wasn't the time to think like that – and she quickly shot her large emerald orbs to his eyes for some sort of queue that she wasn't feeling anything strange for the man.

He was looking languidly around the room, watching with that sort of grace that stunned her completely – once again - and he slowly wheeled her into a waltz when a slow song started. For a moment, his eyes had clashed with hers and she realized that they were deep and endless – all that mushy stuff that usually would have made her rethink the amount of champagne she had drunk. She followed his lead easily, almost naturally. During the better half of it, she leaned her head against his neck as time flew. He smelled like cologne and pine and something utterly masculine.

Then, he stopped suddenly and held her back a few feet. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

It had been ringing.

He led her to a corner and took the call with grace.

"I see" and his eyes narrowed against the phone, "You better not be lying Sai" and there was a pause before he gave a brisk nod, "I'm coming" He snapped the phone shut. It mingled with the sounds of champagne and laughter. "New plan, we're going home"

Sakura fought to defend some essence of the magical evening, but told herself it was for the greater good of the people who undoubtedly were dancing around rogue spies, "But what about the enemy?"

He frowned; "I don't care about them, we're going" and he made a move for the door.

Then, something feral and competitive snapped in Sakura; something utterly unlike her that she would later blame on the drinks served at the party. She found herself running up behind him and stating icily, "It's about Hinata isn't it?"

He didn't even pause, "Yes"

And just like that, her first mission was over.

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><p>Reviews are more appreciated than alerts and favorites because more than anything, I'd like input. Thank you to those who have already reviewed. It's a pleasure to write for you all.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Once again, thank you for the reviews. Each one encourages me to continue that much more and better each chapter. I hope to hear more input as they are all appreciated (which I'm sure I say often). And to answer some questions, Hinata's battle in the last chapter was during present time.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**To Lose Ends**

(o)(O) 1:45am (O)(o)

"Sakura, you can go home if you feel tired"

Said female was drawn out of her reverie to locate the voice.

Sai was sitting beside her on the window seat of the plane they had taken; the steady falls and lifts serving almost as an imitation of a boat casting off to sea. It was soothing as Sakura had always loved the ocean as a child, deeming it to be one of the most beautiful things to have ever painted the earth – et cetera, et cetera. By the raven-head's side, there was a clear view of the sky, the clouds up so close to her, she could see the white plumes touching the glass. The moon, at that point, looked so close that she wondered if she could touch it if she reached out and quickly abandoned that thought because it was ridiculous.

"Sakura"

She snapped out of it again, noting how rare it was for the male to call her by her given name instead of 'Turtle', "Oh, sorry Sai, that was rude of me" she snuggled deeper into her seat – naturally, they were in first class because of their name – and sighed in response to the male's understanding look, "I really am tired, but that doesn't mean I'm going home," she looked to Sai, "We're a team, so we should all stick together and solve this problem together."

"Hell yeah" and the pinkette almost jumped at the sudden sound behind her. The intruder grinned – all pearly whites showing – as he casually flicked his blonde hair back with his free hand, the other inching towards Sakura with a glass, "I didn't know what you liked, so I just got you some lemonade." He moved to the seat in front of her, twirling it around to face her, "We got the whole plane to ourselves, so feel free to ask for something else if you don't like it." He added in afterthought towards Sai with a sugary sweet – and not to mention, fake - pleasantness, "And you can get your own drink Sai"

The male in question responded just as smoothly, "I will and after that, I'll go accompany Sasuke in his pointless moping." There was a sting to his response as he cast one of his smiles – the unrealistic ones – before inclining his head towards Sakura in smooth politeness. His footsteps were less audible as he gained distance and Sakura noted that the relationship between the members were strained, if not always, then, due to the sore subject of 'Hinata'.

To show she wasn't fazed – in hopes of not bothering a certain dynamic that was a result of stress for the teammates – the pinkette maintained a neutral topic and answered the blonde's question, "Ah, this is fine. Thank you Naruto" and then proceeded to take a sip of the lemonade. It was sweet and cool against her tongue and served to calm her down. Her mood lightened considerably.

The blonde grinned in return, "No problem, and nice speech earlier." He grinned in response to her blush and pulled out a laptop from under the seat – which was presumably his – and began to type quickly.

There were steady sips for a few minutes from the female before curiosity got the better of her. Emerald orbs peered forward, "So, what are you doing right now?"

A pause followed, "Just messaging some other spies to handle the mission you and Sasuke were on," he looked up for a second, "We don't want them to be running around still and plus, at this time, the civilians should be leaving and the actual enemy should be still lingering around in hopes of stealing something or whatever bad guys do." There was bright humor in his eyes.

A sinking feeling settled in Sakura's gut – not from the blonde and his refreshing humor, of course – and she almost held her stomach at that, "Sorry about that" she gestured, not knowing any other way to explain it. Her first mission, though not specifically necessary for an analyst, but still one nevertheless, had not only failed, but also caused Naruto's active participation to lessen the damage done. It had been a failure – an abrupt failure – on Sasuke's part – and Sakura hated pointing fingers – but the man had lost all sense at the mention of 'Hinata'.

_It was all because of Hinata._

And Sakura almost visibly cringed at that.

"Well, with a face like that, it'll be almost impossible for you to get used to it," Naruto took a sip of his own drink which Sakura had never noticed before. It was a dark crimson color and it swirled around in his glass in an almost hypnotizing sense. "Sasuke screws up a mission once a month at least."

"Wha- that many?" she placed the drink on the convenient set up table attached to her chair – oh, the wonders of first class – and leaned forward unconsciously in curiosity.

"Yeah" there was a pained grin, "you don't know how many of our contacts send messages or leads regarding Hinata, and the second we've discovered evidence, it's like she disappears off the face of the planet again" he made a frantic gesture with his hands, "drives all of us crazy and at one point, you'd think we'd lose hope, but…" he looked out the window, the clouds rolling by leisurely in the distance and Sakura noticed his face had grown less animated, "every time we hear anything or just about everything on her, it tells us that she's still alive somewhere and there's a chance that she'll still come home…"

"The base?" Sakura inclined gently, her drink forgotten.

Naruto ruffled his hair, "Yeah, you could say that."

And then an unhealthy silence shrouded the environment.

"So…" she began again when she was sure she had gotten the blonde's attention, "We're going to Suna to see the evidence?"

"Yeah, we're going there, but the evidence has already been analyzed by number eight" he was suddenly excited; maybe at the change of topic or at a chance to continue speaking, "Naturally, Kiba is really good with scent tracking. Shino is more of a physical evidence sort of tracker but he's got some skills as an analyst, so that covers that part and it's a known fact that Kurenai is their leader. Oh yeah, she's also an analyst, but with ANBU training too, naturally" he paused for a breath, "hopefully they'll find something this time."

Sakura initially decided that Kiba, Shino and Kurenai were the ANBU agents that made up team eight as Naruto was so fond of talking about them.

It seemed like that whole rant all lead back to the sore subject, "Like what?" Sakura urged on.

"I don't know. A scent that leads to some shabby hotel where she's staying or maybe an analyst breakthrough that'll predict where she'll be next or where she is currently." Naruto looked confused and started to stand, "I think I should get a drink"

Sakura stopped him, "But I read her files, or all I could at the moment. It said that she's a civilian. She doesn't have the skill to reappear and then disappear." Her metaphor lingered on the possibility of something else which she couldn't place just yet.

A smile followed – one that didn't quite fill his tanned features as they should have – and he let a small breath out that seemed to hold the weight of the world, "My point exactly. She is a civilian, but each time we track the mess she leaves behind, all witnesses or victims-" he winched at that, "claim that it was a white-eyed woman with long black hair who attacked them, but none were ever shot." His knuckles pressed into the softness of the seat, "Hinata has white eyes. It's a natural defect of all Hyuugas"

The information easily etched in Sakura's head and questions raced through and relief – oh, a lovely relief – that some of her questions were finally being answered in the form of a reluctant blonde. The obvious clenching and unclenching of his fists proved it, along with his earlier outburst on wanting a drink. His humor had waned and he kept glancing out the window in a soulless sort of gesture that imitated regret, sorrow and other flickering emotions passing by too fast to identify.

_If the files are lying and Hinata is in fact a murderer, she'll need a motive. But at the same time, he mentioned that there were witnesses and victims who had survived whatever ordeal that had transpired. Why leave them alive and in fact, why leave a "mess"? The files didn't indicate any psychological trauma or defects, unless it's in her gene pool, and then in that case, I'm going to need her father's file. She also has no experience in the field, meaning that she couldn't have…_

"Naruto. Question" her words were sharp and brisk.

"Huh, yeah, whatever you need" he was still looking out the window.

She pressed on, "Those victims and witnesses, did they have any field experience, as in, were any of them spies?"

"Yeah, some of them. Some were civilians…like her… and some were agents. That still leaves us at a dead end"

The woman shook her head in response, "No it doesn't. We'll start with acknowledging the fact that Hinata _knows_ how to fight and-"

"But-" Naruto began.

"-And" Sakura continued in that icy tone that suggested her mind was in the works, pressing her ideas on the ill-prepared blonde. Pity, since from a distance, he had seemed so strong, but what did she know? She had only been present for three days, but the evidence spoke blaringly obvious and the blonde was in deep denial, "and she most likely is a very advanced fighter to be able to take out spies. No gun suggests she knows a form of self-defense, karate, or even Taijutsu…"

Naruto snapped in, "No, she doesn't know how to fight and she especially doesn't know any form of Taijutsu. Jutsus require chakra and Hinata doesn't have chakra because chakra means that her family must have been ninjas with a clan name and they must have been loyal and caring and, a-and ninjas are rare even today and they aren't because her father is a self-respecting-son-of-a-bitch business man who threw aside his daughter like trash!" The more he spoke and the longer his sentences grew, the louder his tone of voice became. The seat he occupied creaked under the newfound pressure, "I would know because she was with us for two years before she disappeared."

Sakura was taken back, "Hey, I was just making sense of it all…" Even at that moment, she made a mental note to probe this topic again; a product of her analyst training.

Naruto cringed again.

"Ah, sorry and e-excuse me, I need a drink" and he went out of the seat, almost robotically and went to the other room where, Sakura guessed, the open bar was.

Any other time, she would have gotten up and punched the blonde in the face – cause she had a surprisingly strong arm - for being unprofessional – a sort of fire within her that Lady Tsunade had said was 'refreshing' – but he was already frazzled as it was, so instead, Sakura looked back to the clouds, removing the pretty heels Sasuke had gotten for her – of course for the mission they had done earlier; her first mission. She crossed her legs into the comfy seat.

"My team is falling apart" she laughed – a bitter sardonic one that hung heavy in her throat – and leaned back. She contemplated a drink but decided that she would need her brain and wits to battle sense into them when the time arose and it would be soon.

For the rest of the journey, Sakura travelled in silence.

(o)(O) 5:21am (O)(o)

Naruto was the one to shake Sakura awake.

In a blurry sort of haze that could only be accomplished after long naps, the female noticed how blue the blonde's eyes were, like the ocean. His face was scrunched up though – which surprisingly made him look younger – and he seemed hesitant to touch her again after he had woken her, fingers hovering over her left shoulder shakily. His evident blonde locks framed his face and she noticed small marks, almost like whiskers that scarred supple flesh – probably an accident that had occurred in one of the various missions he participated in – but didn't take away from his overall features.

He was also really close.

"Naruto?" she began blearily, leaning up slightly from the airplane seat.

He nodded and sighed, plopping down beside her. It was graceless, a contradiction from Sasuke and his natural etherealness that astounded her. They sat there, in silence, for a moment and her emerald eyes would have usually scanned his frame to see if he was struggling with any signs of discomfort in her presence, but honestly, she was tired and most certainly didn't want a repeat from earlier.

Her thoughts swirled in a mucky cauldron, distasteful. "Where's Sasuke and Sai?"

He let out a soft 'mmmnn' that sounded like he was humming before he murmured, "At the front, probably watching the plane land."

There was unsettling silence after.

Sakura chose the time to look around, noticing the empty seats – ah, yes, she was in first class and the whole plane was given to her team – and noted the white walls of the plane , which, in fact, she never liked.

"I'm sorry" he finally began, "I was angry because-" he took in another breath, "because I was talking to Sasuke earlier and he wasn't listening to reason or anything I said. He was being an ass and I was left to deal with the mess made from the mission earlier and I'm sorry that I put it out on you-" he rattled on sloppily, "It was immature and I know that what you're saying is true, but it's so hard to accept and god, this is pathetic because we've been chasing her for three years and we still can't believe that she'd…or even the possibility that…" he trailed off, "Anyway, I'm sorry Sakura. Please accept it"

There was silence for a moment, something she had become accustomed to before she briefly mumbled in a sleepy daze, "M'kay. Nothing to apologize for Naruto. I was wrong too." The pinkette traced the design on the seat, emerald orbs still half – lidded from sleepiness, "There's still the possibility that someone's helping her or framing her. I was going ahead of myself without any proof." her tone was reprimanding, "of course, it's rare to have chakra now a days" she smiled, "I should know, I studied on it."

A sense of nostalgia filled her system.

_There are three forms of Jutsu:_

_Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu._

_Ninjutsu heavily relies on large amounts of chakra to enhance the physical body or perform motions that are otherwise impossible in the modern world. It is an uncommon form. Genjutsu also relies on chakra to perform illusions or cause affects on the victims mind. It is very uncommon. Taijutsu is hand-to-hand, though some variations use chakra. It is the most common of the three forms. _

_Chakra has begun to die out in the latest generation due to mixed genetics, loss of practice and genocide. _

It was almost nice for her to remember information so clearly.

The world almost immediately came back to her.

They sat there for a second as the plane began to slowly descend and Sakura could already notice the sand billowing through the window, wondering briefly how the plane could see in such a storm.

She noticed Naruto staring at her, blue eyes bright.

"Are you scared of chakra-users Sakura?"

She blinked, "I wouldn't know, I've never met one" but those few words tasted strange – almost foreign – on her tongue as if she was missing something, a piece of the metaphorical puzzle, perhaps.

Suddenly, the blonde's head plopped on her shoulder.

The female sighed, "Naruto?"

"Mm, yeah?"

"…are you drunk?"

He giggled – strange, coming from a grown man – and sighed, "No…yeah, just a little…"

Then the seatbelt light came on, glowing an almost blinding red through hazy emerald orbs, and they began to land.

The short fall was a sobering experience.

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><p>Had to properly introduce Naruto in this chapter. It was important.<p>

I noticed that people had questions about Hinata' battle in the last chapter. I can answer them if you really want, which would possibly spoil parts of the story, or you could send me a message.

Thank you for all who reviewed. It honestly makes writing easier and an enjoyment. More are always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Once again, thank you for the reviews. Each one encourages me to continue that much more and better each chapter. I hope to hear more input as they are all appreciated and lastly, I do update faster if there are people who want me to. For those who reviewed more than once, this chapter is dedicated to you. My thanks.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**The Way Down**

(o)(O) 6:03am (O)(o)

The Suna residence was in fact large – uncalled for even by its tremendous size – as it housed the Kazekage, who Naruto boasted was one of his best friends, but Sakura deemed it to be a product of his drunken – though sobering – state; oxymoron noted. The sand of the village danced as it had when she had been looking through the plane door earlier and eventually settled, only to repeat ever so often. The environment was still dark, morning sun peeking over the edge of the horizon, lighting the place up prettily, though there was still a slightly chilly breeze in the morning air. A heaviness in the quality only hinted at the possible humidity that would most likely occur in the afternoon.

At that, Sakura shivered. She had only managed to throw on a light sweater when she had gotten onto the plane, then off – one of the resources that the team seemed to have on them at all time for a reason Sakura really didn't want to know, nor ponder on – and it was slightly chillier than she had anticipated. She was still laced in the dress of her first mission, a chilling reminder of the dissapointment she had felt, and the high regard for Sasuke seemed to almost dimish.

Sai walked in step with her. He inclined his head, "Don't worry, it's warmer inside and the second the sun fully rises, it'll be hot in no time" he gave a reassuring smile, which was no different from the rest of his smiles, fake. She didn't question it, though briefly noted it as probably an oversight on her part; he probably was just not the smiling kind. She found that she respected that because he had been the first to welcome her warmly and make her feel comfortable. Distinctness in his character couldn't be a folly.

Sakura smiled in return, a gesture to indicate that she had understood what the mechanist had said.

Sasuke was in the back, a small conversation with Naruto going on that the female couldn't hear over the whistling of the climate they had landed in. They seemed deeply engrossed, the blonde once again in his animated posture, saying something, only to gain a glare from the other before he looked away and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Sakura knew she was staring too much, so she turned away and returned back to the building growing closer.

She immediately noticed a figure standing there she had not seen before. Sandy red hair – quite fitting– and piercing blue-green eyes that could almost not be described from such a ways away entered her line of vision. He looked strangely ethereal in the surroundings, almost not fitting in with the haze of sand and equally colored buildings around him. His robes were white, other than the signature blue that was ebbed in the front to inquire his social standing – completely traditional, but a sure warning of his strength and intelligence.

A sweep of wind passed her and suddenly, Naruto was in front of her, racing towards the Kazekage.

She was going to voice out that he was being rash and impolite, but was startled when the blonde raced and easily pounced on the other, equally surprised red-head.

"Gaara, I missed yooooouuu!"

Sakura's mouth opened.

Naruto was, in fact, still drunk.

And just as she was about to reprimand the blonde for being a complete idiot and apologize profusely to the red-head, Sai had already cut in front of her with a shake of his head and the same wide smile, "They're friends, so don't worry about it" To reinforce his blatant fact, the Kazekage seemed to recover then hesitantly - if not, awkwardly – pat the happy drunk on the back with a pale hand.

The unmanly giggle followed in response and the pinkette almost cracked a smile at that because the blonde could be so amusing. That was a good trait, of course.

"Naruto" was his acknowledgement, though his voice came out a little scratchy, almost as if it were over used- for example, a product of constant screaming till the abused vocal cords became hoarse – and the female found herself deeming that through this quality, he almost seemed to blend in with the texture of his environment.

Gaara pulled away, though hesitantly, - Sakura found it cute in its nature - and let Naruto lean against the wall before inclining his head in a gesture meant to invite the rest of the team in.

Sakura took her first steps towards the monumental – and quite ancient – building with a not-quite-wavering sense of awe, causing her steps to become a little shaky as she marveled at the lovely architecture in her path; the sand not even a factor in her pursuit. Sai seemed to walk in a more formidable grace than hers – which wasn't really saying something – as he too took a glance at the building before strolling ahead. He had most likely seen the building many times, so the magic, in essence, had slightly faded.

What was most unnerving though, was the brisk steps of Sasuke, who seemed in a hurry, and he had every right to, of course. They had after all flown all the way from Konoha to Suna to attain information on the whereabouts of Hinata and the analyst found herself cringing at that before shaking it away. She focused on the beauty of the Kazekage building and the purposeful steps of the Kazekage himself, who had Naruto slung over his shoulder and glanced back every few minutes to see if they were following. Relentlessly though, that feeling settled back into her gut that she couldn't place and much rather wouldn't want to place at all.

They quickly entered a room, marked: The Common Room. It was safe to assume it was a meeting room that the Gaara seemed to associate with himself. There was a giant round table in the middle of the circular room – once again, the building was astounding in its shape and structure – and there were chairs neatly folded around the large table.

Gaara unceremoniously dropped Naruto into one of them – there was a cry of protest, of course -, a light touch of gentleness, but at that point, his face spoke business and Sakura saw why he was the Kazekage. His sea colored eyes spoke of hardships and Sakura suddenly felt young at his wake.

"Sit" he stated and they sat.

Sai took one to the left of Sakura and Sasuke to the right. He looked annoyed at the sight of the blonde, between a possible hangover and the endings of an alcohol-induced haze. Naruto wouldn't be useful for the next few hours and it seemed to be a plausible thought flowing through all their heads.

Sasuke nodded, "The information" he started briskly, and it was more of a statement than a polite question.

Sakura frowned, contemplating between the cold nature of the male and his abrupt sentence. A part of her screamed that it was indeed rude to address the Kazekage like that and intended to voice that after a moment of thought, but the red-head was moments ahead of her.

"Of course" he nodded to Sakura and Sai and pulled out several document, and while in the process, he stated, "I see you have an analyst at your side"

Sai smiled, "Turtle"

Gaara nodded, "Useful" and pointed to several highlighted sentences in the documents, which were placed meticulously on the round table in a pre-destined order.

He was organized, was Sakura's fleeting thought.

"In Kurenai's final report, she stated that the wounds received, had tell-tale signs of Genjutsu laced in the agent's body. The kind of jutsu, we can't figure out" he said firmly at Sasuke's questionable stare, "Further evidence proved that the agent, codenamed, Crab, was breathing after the initial Genjutsu attack"

"So he was buried alive in the sand" Sakura finished with a shiver, her natural need to understand something bearing its way to the front. This was the only reason she had cut-in when the Kazekage was speaking.

"Precisely" his voice had a new hard-edge to it, "a terrible way to die" and he was probably upset with the loss of one of his men was Sakura's brief conclusion.

"But that's not Hinata" Sasuke retaliated, "it wouldn't make sense to not kill the agent outright if she was a murderer."

"Unless she became sadistic over the years" Sai added and shrugged innocently at the other man's glare.

"But she can't because she not even strong enough to watch a bird die, much less a person and doesn't have the conscience knowing that she's killed a man. Therefore, she had probably never intended to kill the man, but the sand finished the job." His confidence in the answer was set in his dark orbs and he leaned back in earnest.

It was Gaara's turn to frown, "I can't believe that because she stole the Genjutsu scroll. You realize that we only have one and if it were to be in the wrong hands, they will have an upper hand in battle. When that scroll was taken, she just asked for a war."

Sakura paused, reeling back, not only from the shock, but also from the fact that the red-head had just formed a coherent string of sentences that were both menacing and perfectly plausible. The conversation picked up quickly in slowly blinking emerald eyes, "I find that hard to believe" she glanced at Sai's solemn gaze and the angry ones of Sasuke, "From what I've gathered from my teammates, though Hinata has the potential for skill, she certainly is not capable enough to infiltrate a heavily guarded base in the Suna Temple to steal an equally heavily guarded scroll with top of the line security features present."

"And your conclusion is…?" Gaara asked icily.

"That there is a possibility of spies or double agents in your numbers." She didn't falter in her statement, as it was a key skill she had.

And she briefly noted Sasuke's approving smirk –and though she didn't want to admit that it was attractive – and found herself alight in contentedness. She had said something right –wait, no – she knew what she was saying was right, based on common sense, which really wasn't so common these days and critical thinking. Learned from the ever confident Tsunade. A useful skill at that.

The Kazekage's frown deepened, which crinkled his otherwise youthful face, "That's a heavy accusation. Do you have proof, analyst?"

"And do you have complete evidence that Hinata was the one who stole the Genjutsu scroll?" Sasuke bit in, a grim line of suppressed anger and Sakura briefly noted that he had come to her aid, as well as Hinata's, which stung quite a bit, "A witness, perhaps, or footprints to draw your _conclusions_?" he looked to be on the verge of rolling his dark orbs and a thin note of sarcasm was present.

There was silence. It was a stalemate.

"We have evidence from one of the best tracking teams in the ANBU-" Gaara began through clenched teeth.

Sasuke growled in return, "And _we_ are one of the best teams in the ANBU" his anger and arrogance was almost palpable in the interrogation room – and from the corner, Naruto visibly mumbled something inaudible in his sleep. Sakura couldn't help but notice Sasuke's fist clenching against a piece of the table, tightening to the point that the surface was splintering by a fraction, "We can damn well handle _Hinata_-" he visibly sizzled at her name, "-ourselves. Just give us the copies of the evidence done by the tracking team and we'll draw our own conclusions, Kazekage"

It was in the manner in which he held himself that Sakura acknowledged that Sasuke was, in fact, intelligent and well aware of it. It was quite noticeable in his eloquent tone, the confidence in it so regal that she found it true to guess that if it came to him being backed-up against a wall, he would still have the upper hand with his words alone, an almost metaphorical comparison to a lion. The thought crawled under her skin – good or bad, she would never know.

If the Kazekage was angry, it would not show; a prime example on why he was the leader of Suna. He schooled a pleasant face, though cold in appearance, "It's yours then" and he gestured to the neat pile.

There was a heavy silence in which Gaara shuffled, then glanced at Naruto and Sakura fleetingly, then left the room with that same expectant grace that demanded attention.

"Well" Sakura eventually cut in after a moment of unnatural silence, "I'll get to work then"

And it was at that moment, Sasuke graced her with a slight upward quirk of the lips –one that he had held in their first mission – and Sakura decided that it was particularly pleasant.

(o)(O) Amegakure 8:49pm (O)(o)

It rains hard in this village, Sakura briefly noted dryly. The village was a dreary location, not quite as advanced in technology as Konoha presently was, but still lovely in its tall metallic looking infrastructure with high buildings that seemed to reach skyward towards the dark clouds.

It constantly rains in Amegakure, Sakura noted mentally, drawing the words from a textbook she had once read on the history of Konoha. Once, Konoha had been in war with Amegakure simply because the isolated village was an ideal location to train assassins, especially with the formidable weather that made tourists stray far away. It was a pointless war; the pinkette had drawn conclusively, lips pursed and eyes tightened. She had never been a fan of murder only because of a small inkling of doubt that maybe assassins were being raised in a distant location to kill the Hokage kilometers away. It was fear and sweeping unsettled minds reacting from a shaky peace treaty.

"You sure this is the place?" and blue eyes glanced innocently into emerald ones – so light and pretty that the female wondered how he had even gotten into the ANBU with such soft features as those – and frowned. Some of his cheerfulness had faded away and maybe it was because they were closer to Hinata. Or it's the rain, Sakura thought glumly, though she knew it wasn't.

"I'm positive" she answered. She had long since changed from her dubbed, first-mission-dress and was in more appropriate black sweats and a hoodie.

The female looked back into his alert hues, completely recovered from his hangover due to two days of rest and another harrowing plane trip that had taken almost twelve hours, "The evidence leaves traces," she stated metaphorically in an effort to make the blonde understand. Sasuke had immediately when she had said it, though she had quickly learned to not doubt the man's intelligence. In addition, Sai had just nodded solemnly, as the situation had called for it, "Hinata is here" Sakura pressed, "Because first, her most recent appearance was at the Suna temple where the genjutsu scroll had been taken. It only makes sense that the taijutsu scroll should be the next to go." She pursed her lips as she pressed on, "If I'm correct, at the amount of isolated incidents that had occurred in the past three years she's been missing, there is one thing that all victims shared in common"

Sai seemed to perk up at her tone and took quick steps to stride beside her. Sasuke mimicked the movement in a calm, placid sort of grace that greatly resembled a learnt aristocrat.

The female continued confidently, but in a hushed tone as residents of the village seemed to look beyond the wet coating of rain to glance at the foreigners in question.

"They all had some information on the location of the three scrolls: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Genjutsu." She frowned, "With the exception of a few ANBU agents and leaders, only a select number of analysts know the location of the scrolls. The Kazekage's agent just seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up in the middle of a power struggle. The detailed analyst report was certainly not needed. I could think of better isolated incidents that should have been more thoroughly examined instead of done by me." There was a critical note in her tone. "Believe me, only those who are searching for power would try to find the scrolls."

Naruto breathed and when Sakura turned to look, his gaze reflected awe, "Only a select few analysts…?" He seemed to backtrack, then smile clumsily, "You must be really smart and important then Sakura."

She made a noncommittal sound in return, but cheeks hued red despite her protest.

Sai, who had been listening intently remained impassive, "I suppose that Lady Tsunade found you intelligent enough to contain the information of the location of the scrolls. So I presume that this village contains the taijutsu scroll which will draw Hinata in?"

The pinkette nodded, "She most likely found the information she needed and attained the genjutsu scroll. It's only a matter of time before she finds someone who knows the location of the taijutsu scroll or, she might even have that info already and is just biding her time."

"So, she's bound to show up here soon" Sasuke finished smoothly at her back, looking around with scrutiny at the residents surrounding the street they were passing. They were on route to the hotel that had been pre-established by the ANBU head corps. Since the loss of one of three powerful scrolls, Hinata was the top target to find.

"Yes" Sakura finished hesitantly, and turned to the male, "I'm not going to say that I believe Hinata is the only one behind this, as you all know her better than I do, but if there is even the slightest chance that she did this all on her own…" She trailed off uncomfortably on her words, something she usually never did.

There was a scowl on Sasuke's face. He understood the implications. Yet, no words were said after that.

(o)(O) 12:32am (O)(o)

A walk was what Sakura needed. It did wonders to clear her mind, and with the constant looks of thought from Sai, respectful glances from Naruto, and the occasional scowl from Sasuke followed by an impassive exterior, the idea became more attractive.

The rain still fell at an unbelievingly fast pace, droplets managing to brush along her cheek, even when she had taken an umbrella with her. No one was out on the streets – it was late of course- and the village seemed just a little gloomier without their addition. Though, frankly, the female relaxed at that fact.

She began by taking a curvy path leading away from the hotel – so it would be easier to track her way back when she finally had her fill of atmosphere – and took on a steady pace. Eventually, the path tapered off and was displaced by a dirt road and open fields, a contradiction from the buildings and shops near the centre of the village.

And all she saw for a second was rain and more rain for miles.

Then, she realized- the uncanny tingling at the base of her spine leading up to her neck – that she wasn't as alone as she thought and she cursed under her breath at her stupidity. Of course she had told Sai she was going for a walk, much less, in the middle of the night all alone with no one in sight.

Emerald eyes looked around calculatingly, remembering even from her basic analyst training that she should not show fear in such a situation. That was rule number two. But, rule number one was never to be caught alone, _ever. _Other than a fountain of knowledge in her mind, she only learned basic defense from Tsunade and had no other field experience.

Her heart was beating too fast, she noted, and her breath was coming out ragged, betraying her tense posture.

Something rustled and Sakura thought, _I'm going to die? _Though, it came out as more of a question than a statement.

Then, almost like a mirage, raven hair appeared, followed by a curved face, with pale skin and opal eyes, followed by clenching fingers and a helpless posture. It was taunt and signified some form of anger.

It was in front of her – and Sakura briefly wondered how she got on the ground – and the mirage looked down at her, thin brows furrowed. The pinkette realized that she was looking at a female form, a familiar one she could place. Her mind raced through various files, when really, all it needed to do was remember a recent one.

Her heart was still falling in her chest and she let out a startled phrase, "You're Hinata" and she took her time to look at the worn female, strapped in a green vest with a pair of comfortable pants, though smeared a bit in dirt.

Strangely enough, she didn't have the look of a killer, soft and pretty, with eyes that attempted to look hard. They were too wide and too gentle to be evil – it was a fact that Sakura thought of grudgingly. What really made the pinkette wonder most was the conflicting emotions evident in the raven-head female. She looked torn between surprise, happiness, fear, and anger.

"Can you run?" Hinata finally asked. Her voice was light – once again, Sakura admitted grudgingly – unlike Sakura's lower, more authoritative tone.

"I think-" she began hesitantly, but the female was pushing her back with a strength that was surprising for such a small frame.

"Go"

"But-"

"Go!"

But, Sakura dug her heels in, "No, we're going to talk!"

Then Hinata stopped and just looked defeated, "Alright."

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><p>Thank you once again. Reviews are always appreciated and always makes me quick to update. Any questions (since this story also has a large plot I need to get in)? Please feel free to ask.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Thank you again. I hope to take the time to actually respond to reviews, though I'm having a little bit of trouble since I'm still new to the site (I've ignored my account for a long time before deciding recently to actually publish stories on it). Reviews are always loved and honestly do encourage faster updates.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Bite Your Tongue **

It was the weak and weary look that got to Sakura –and it wasn't that she was the type to lose her sense of intelligence if she were to spot a kicked puppy on the road; it just wasn't going to happen – and maybe it was just the fact that Hinata looked tired.

The once frantic pushing and shoving that the Hyuuga female had just done seemed to diminish, as did her physical strength, and it almost looked like she no longer had it –oh, but she wasn't fooled one bit.

The rain continued to fall. The transparent droplets made their way onto pale skin that belonged to opal eyes and a more tanned version that held their natural look of curiosity. The liquid stuck to both their clothing – umbrella long forgotten and misplaced haphazardly to the side – and soon became a second layer of skin that drowned them in silent contemplation. The steady soft patters landed unceremoniously on the ground, leaving the earth soggy and wet under Sakura's feet.

She wondered if it would suck her in.

And again, she contemplated on how she was able to make her way into such a disastrous –and not to mention, depressing – atmosphere with the one woman she had considered an enigma. Questions furled and tumbled in her head like a drycleaner – and she found that comparison to be rather humorous, though the situation didn't call for it - whizzing so fast that she couldn't make out the words. Yet, she still didn't know how to start or what to say. Her mouth opened instead, and then closed. She made an attempt to voice a coherent sound again, but the raven-head was already speaking.

"I didn't kill all of them." It was a gentle sort of voice, almost whispery, as if she didn't use it very often, and if she were to, it would have presumably been only used for short statements, "I wouldn't-" her voice broke at that and she looked away.

The rain continued to pelt down on them in sympathy.

"I don't know if I can believe you" Sakura began softly, taking a hesitant forward; the situation, ironically seeming like she was approaching an injured animal, "But if you come back with me, we can get some proof and we'll solve everything at court and you can go home." In the heat of the situation, her words were coming out in broken fragments that were meant to sound persuasive, but seemed to be bordering on desperate. It seemed like at any moment, Hinata would turn and run from the scene.

Her wary glance proved it and opal eyes seemed to scan the surrounding in more earnest than necessary. "I have no home anymore" she said slowly, tasting the words on her tongue, "at least, at the moment, it isn't a home-" and she whipped her head around in mid-sentence, body tensing. She looked back to the other female seconds later and Sakura visibly noticed the raven-head's curling fingers.

"Let's talk somewhere else" the object of her team's obsession finally said, piercing curious and slightly critical emerald eyes.

"Alright, but where to?"

In a fraction of a second – and that idea still startled Sakura – Hinata was in front of her and her nimble, pale fingers were pressing into the base of her neck.

The pinkette heard something that strangely sounded like _"Trust me"_ before she fell and the sky spinning like a colorful gray ball was the last thing she saw.

(o)(O) 1:55am (O)(o)

She snapped into attention –Sakura that is – and the back of her head crashed against something solid behind her. The analyst was hardly able to hold back a wounded hiss before reaching for the slow forming bruise that was bound to be growing at the back of her head. She resisted the urge to let a few tears fall in frustration; it was only natural at this point in time.

The room she was located in was dim – that she noted quickly – and her body had been previously propped up against a chair before she had woken up.

Startling opal eyes – almost white – stared at her in earnest.

The pinkette gasped, and then let the breath out in one deep gush of air. It was noisy in the quiet room and as she noticed this, her breath caught back in her throat, and when she tried to let the breath out again, a strangled sob came out reluctantly. It was like she was just reaching the surface of the ocean, only to be drawn back down by an unnamable creature – something she didn't want to voice in case it would come true – and she chocked, "Where am I? Wha-"

Hinata was sitting on the bed in front of her –the curtains drawn, which was probably what the Hyuuga female was looking at beforehand – and slim legs dangling loosely over the edge. Sakura noticed a long scar peeking from under the girl's pants, which had ridden up due to carelessness or anxiety; whichever really.

"We're in a safer location" she began slowly and tilted her head to the side, "You have questions?" Her eyes flickered from Sakura to the door located in a distinct corner of the room – to the right of Sakura – before nodding. The action was somber and almost helpless.

There was a fragility about the raven-head that made Sakura want to bite her lip and pull her hair out at the same time. She ignored the beginnings of those emotions – the ones she prided herself in never feeling – and began her form of interrogation, but her tongue tied, "How do I know you won't kill me after you answer my questions?" when what she should have said was _'Can you explain why you can't come with me and explain how you are a victim in this situation?'_

She should have said that as a true analyst of her supposed caliber would do – Tsunade held high regards for the pinkette and naturally deemed her to be fit for any tense situation as long as she had her mind wrapped around its knowledge – crazed mode – but, she was scared and her breathing wasn't quite right. At that, another strangled sound escaped through her lips and her body shook a bit. By no means was she tied or chained or even being tortured and that was what frightened her. The lithe female literally held her life in her grasp and wasn't doing anything at all.

If Hinata was surprised, she didn't express it. Instead, her eyes hardened into a look that didn't quite suit her and she stated, almost icily, "I won't, but you don't have to take my word for it" and she looked away – and the Pinkette swore she saw something flash across the Hyuuga's face that resembled hurt – lips pursed.

Sakura's tongue loosened at that and she began quietly, "I just need to know anything and everything about you" and a flash of green envy passed her lips, "Why does Sasuke hold you in such high regard" and she realized her folly and added quickly, "Um, in essence, I mean, why is team seven still looking for you?" She noted the harshness in her own tone and worried her lip. Emerald orbs glanced around the dim room once more, noting that the bed had navy blue bed sheets. A white pillow was propped against it; leaning haphazardly in such a way that it seemed as if it would fall over when she wasn't looking.

And something akin to surprise took over the raven-head's features, "Sasuke?" and her look darkened a bit, scrunching up her face, then she bit her lip and visibly looked like she was holding something back, "I-is Naruto still trying to find me?"

Her blatant change in conversation and tone indicated something; something at the edge of discovery and Sakura was itching to find out, and she briefly wondered why she needed to so bad. Then that thought was tossed away just as easily as she had noted it.

"Yes" was the pinkette's reply and she initiated her first question again, "They're still looking for you and I want to know why you won't go and see them?"

The Hyuuga, in turn, frowned, and then stated in a tone that seemed to not be hers, "They shouldn't," but that regret flashed through opal orbs once more, "but I'm glad they are." Then, she turned away, as if in shame, and Sakura noticed how the female's pale fingers furled then uncurled listlessly, her face scrunched up once more. There was a note of longing in her tone, and suddenly, it was gone.

Hinata snapped back into the firm attention that Sakura had decided did not suit her features.

"The attraction effect"

Sakura's eyes widened and she leaned a little forward in her rickety seat towards the other, "What?"

"The attraction effect" Hinata said once more, "codename: The Attraction Effect"

"An ANBU document?" came the surprised lilt in the pinkette's tone and her breath just about sizzled out in a rush to form coherent words, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"A lot more than the ANBU is letting on, depending on if they told you anything about it at all" was the reply, and the Hyuuga stood off the bed – the crinkling sounds the springs of the furniture made was loud – and she rummaged through her pockets for a brief moment, pale hands once again forming to place a small green object in Sakura's hand.

She stood, in turn, and reached for the object.

It was tiny – an understatement – and held intricate markings that were smooth and straight, forming symmetrical ninety degree angles in rapid succession, giving it the appearance of a futuristic device. "This is a USB" was Sakura's statement, as she rolled it over in her hand, mulling through information she had processed over the years on computers, external sources that could be linked to it, and data transfers from one system to the next.

As if knowing this, the raven-head continued, "It's a virus" there was a steady lilt in her voice as she said this, "It'll enable you to access documents that you were never able to before."

The other female couldn't help but emphasize, "But I'm an ANBU analyst. I don't need a virus." She couldn't hold her disgust back, "I can access whatever information I need that pertains to my research. Nothing is restricted…" and as she progressed into her sentence, her voice faltered and eventually quieted, "Why?"

Hinata answered with, "You're an ANBU analyst?" She looked around the room warily, "It explains much" and that dark look was back, the one the pinkette didn't find quite pleasant on the raven-head.

"But Sasuke?" she pressed again, this time, pocketing the device. It felt weird, like she was making a terrible exchange that should not have occurred in the first place. It made her think of her innocent childhood before she had been pushed into the institute and almost would have laughed at her self-piteous nature if not for the enigma she wished to draw information from. There was an urge of desperation in Sakura that she knew was becoming more and more obvious.

"Sasuke shouldn't get any more involved in this" was the icy reply; the one that didn't quite fit her frame or her voice.

"…and Naruto can?" Sakura finished just as coldly. All formalities seemed to drop and Hinata looked surprised once again.

"He's strong…" that weak look was back again and as if noticing this, Hinata filled the void with that calm tone again, "use it and make sure no one is looking. He has eyes everywhere"

"Wait, who?"

"I've said too much" and Hinata headed for the door, before stopping. She looked like she was listening for something. Eventually, she turned around, "Our time is up. I'll get you safely back"

The pinkette made a move to guard the Hyuuga from the door, arms spread wide and frame shaking slightly – and she told herself that she wasn't frightened from the doe-like appearance of Hinata, "But I have more questions-"

"And the code will answer them, I'm sure." She reached for the pinkette's neck, who tensed up like a bowstring and felt helpless against her advance, "No one else, ok?"

And Sakura didn't fight the blurriness that invaded her.

She felt empty as if the answers to questions had only led to more questions – oh wait, it had. She couldn't laugh at that because it was so dull around her.

(o)(O) 4:38am (O)(o)

It was dark when Sakura woke up the second time. That strange feeling of déjà vu hit her, and her only response to it was a weary look around. Fleetingly, she raised a hand to her face, noticing its light silhouette in the darkness. She was situated on a comfy bed, she knew for sure, and her head was placed on a pillow.

"You awake?"

She jolted at the sound, covers splaying around her haphazardly and she turned to meet blue eyes glowing in the darkness. They were eerie in the room, like separate beacons of light bobbing along the sea; though at any other time it would have seem pretty.

She shifted uncomfortably at that, and as if noticing, Naruto turned on the light. The room was flooded with it and Sakura realized that she was back in the hotel they had rented. The familiarity was almost comforting. Then she tensed, and reached for one of her pockets, and when she felt the hard surface of the small device, she relaxed immediately.

The blonde who had been watching frowned, leaning towards her with a cup in hand – the pinkette hadn't noticed it before – and murmured, "You ok?"

She smiled encouragingly, "Yeah, just a little disoriented, is all"

He didn't look like he accepted the answer, jaw tensed and gaze hard – what was it with some people who had facial expressions that just didn't work on their face, yet they insisted on doing it anyway? He ran a hand through his hair, and she noticed it flick backwards in an unruly sort of way before moving back into position. He let out a soft sigh, "That was a long walk, you know." He took a seat on a chair that was situated in front of the bed, one also, that Sakura had not noticed, "You were gone for a little over two hours."

Her hackles rose on the defensive, "I told you I was taking a walk"

"Not for two hours!"

She was silenced and resisted the urge to shrink back. Really, the analyst had never heard the blonde yell.

"…You saw Hinata right?"

The response was silence and she breathed out.

"Did she say anything or show you anything?" The male had taken to rapping his knuckles against the back of the chair, the rhythmic sound doing nothing to soothe her frazzled mind.

Again, Sakura could only purse her lips and turn away.

Naruto leaned a little closer, "Sakura, she's really careful when she works. Not enough that you'd think she's been doing it all her life, but just so that it makes you wonder about her." Sakura's head snapped up in interest at the words, "We found you sleeping against one of the ramen stands. The owner had been threatened to ensure that you got back to me safely… to me specifically," he bit his lip at that and continued, "The umbrella you came with disappeared. She didn't want a physical trace, and the tracker we put on you in the beginning-" Sakura held up an offended look, "-For safety purposes really, just in case you got lost or kidnapped" Naruto consoled then continued, "It also disappeared, and when we tried to put a trace on it, it was found in a garbage can on the outskirts of this village"

The chair scraped a little as he leaned forward and it looked something like one of the mock interrogations Sakura had participated in during her years in the institution, "Sakura, it's important that you tell me everything about what happened when you were with Hinata. It'll help us find her faster." His knuckle rapped a little more loudly on the wooden surface.

_No one else, ok?_

It raced through the pinkette's mind like a bullet and she couldn't get it out.

"She said she wants Sasuke to stop looking for her" she finally said, and it eased that developing weight that was starting to crush her chest, if only a little bit. The item in her pocket added to the burden.

Blue eyes looked positively fierce, "Sasuke already headed out to find her, along with Sai"

"And you didn't?" The bitter feeling of envy chocked in her throat and her words almost came out as a stutter – something, that at any other time, she would have found annoying.

"No, I know a lost lead when I see one"

Sakura looked at him, surprised, and then her features tensed once again at his knuckles stopping their habit only to clench against the frame solidly. He displayed no urge to leave, but his posture and flickering orbs explained everything.

"You should go" she said finally, "As moral support for them" and she smiled in good humor, though she knew that it didn't quite reach her eyes, "I think I'll get more sleep first." and added for good measure, "And turn the lights off please?"

He looked to be pondering the possibilities for a moment, then he slowly nodded, standing. He flashed one of those grins she had seen on his face on her first day, dazzling as always, "K, then I'll be back soon with the whole team, and we'll deal with this mess."

She smiled and rolled into the covers, waiting for the impermeable blackness to surround her, then the retreating footsteps to disappear in sound and the light opening and closing of a door in the distance. She waited for what seemed like a long time, curled up in the warmth of the bed, to see if he would return a second later to state that he had forgotten something.

A few minutes were shrouded in silence and she even graced him with a couple more after, before she slowly snaked out of the warmth. There was a dull thud when she landed on the floor, successfully stopping the bed from making a sound as she moved – that was key – and she crawled to the door, which had been generously left slightly ajar. The pinkette avoided the light and took a weary glance into the hall from the hidden angle on the side of the door, unseen.

She frowned when, as suspected, there was a small camera pointed in her direction on the far side of the hall. It was situated on the table, and to anyone else, it would have just been a webcam that was frequently used.

_They're watching me_ was her thought and she turned away from the stream of light at the door and sank. _They don't trust me._

Sakura spent a long time sitting there, leaning against the dark side of the door, her back against the wall and emerald eyes trained on the bed.

_No one else, ok?_

Her hand reached for the virus in her pocket, and she pulled it out, fingering the intricate designs on its faces. She promised herself she would tell them eventually, but right now, she just needed to know.

The camera whirred only slightly at the sound, before training back to its previous position.

_No one else, ok?_

She would have to remember that.

(o)(O) 5:12am (O)(o)

Hinata didn't know when it would be the right time to stop running. It was still raining, of course, and the water only made her steps that much harsher on the soggy wet grass, each one becoming increasingly harder as she advanced into the distance.

"Hinata!"

She only went faster. She knew that voice like she knew the voice of her captor. It was only a matter of time before he would catch up.

"Damn it, Hinata, stop running!"

Then something whizzed towards her, and she invaded it just in time that it only caught a stray strand of her hair. It imbedded itself to the tree in front of her.

As if in a trance, she raced to the object and pulled it out, the black hair it had captured dropped to the floor in a weightless sort of free fall. "A kunai" she almost hissed, but refrained –it made her feel like someone else – and frowned before whirling around to that face that was so familiar, "Don't throw this around, you don't need it." She pocketed it, "You're ANBU, use a gun"

The male easily stopped in front of her, mirroring raven hair that shone from the droplets that had landed. He looked almost ethereal, though soaking wet. Dark coal depths gleamed and he stated in a careless drawl, "Now you have something of mine" and smirked, "So why don't you give me something back in return?"

The Hyuuga replied quickly, "We're not five anymore Sasuke," and she took a step backwards, "The world doesn't work like that." She perked up at the sound of distant footsteps, and muttered, "I've wasted too much time" and made to turn.

"So you going to give yourself to me?" The smooth drawl was back again, and it fit his tone. He continued as if she hadn't said something that was a clear dismissal, "I've looked for you," he started again, "for a while now." He took a step forward and she skidded, like a new born doe, back before drawing his kunai unconsciously, "Whatever it is, Hinata, I can protect you."

She would have melted…

… if someone else had said that.

Her voice broke at that train of thought, "No, no you can't"

Stupidly, the rain poured harder.

She hoped that it would drown her.

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><p>I'm not going to comment it there are spelling errors or whatnot. I honestly had little to no time to update. Please forgive me if it's choppy.<p>

Thank you once again. Reviews are always appreciated and always make me feel like updating faster. Any questions (since this story also has a large plot I need to get in)? Please feel free to ask.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Reviews are always loved and honestly do encourage faster updates. Ah, what else? Well, I'm thrilled to receive any message, no matter how short and hope that each chapter is a pleasing read. I'll try my best. Thank you again.

A note on the story: I'm hoping to resolve some of the questions on this chapter and the next. The point of view will always either be on Sakura or Hinata. As expressed earlier, Sakura is one of the main characters, so it's mostly her view. It'll be rare if views are Sasuke's, Naruto's, or Sai's; in fact, I'm still pondering on whether this will be actually necessary in the story.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Steady to Fire**

(o)(O) 5:15am (O)(o)

Sakura had taken to biting her nails, an old habit she rarely indulged in unless the situation called for it and -of course- it did at the moment. The room had little resources – a dodgy hotel hovel that just barely surpassed the look of finesse since the ANBU deemed it to be unnecessary to draw attention to their specialized teams if they were, say, to be located in a en-suite hotel versus the standard one – and oh, she had lost her train of thought again.

Yes, of course, a means to escape; not escape, per say, but enough to get her to the main room, an open concept attachment to her room, Sai's, Sasuke's and Naruto's. In it, she was well aware that there was a simple computer there, and chances were, Sai had already configured it in such a way that it had access to the ANBU mainframe – exactly the place to attain any file; a specific one at that.

The Attraction Effect; it called to her.

It was time to put a well-thought out plan into motion. Lady Tsunade had often said, _a well-thought out plan can almost always defeat the brawns in the situation_, though really, the blonde woman had often said that in a joking manner and with slightly less fervor; more along the lines of: _Have a plan and you probably won't die, or something like that_, she would then shrug her shoulders at her students' gawking faces and snap, _Look, I'm no philosopher you brats!_ Yeah, that sounded about right.

She smiled, a rather wild one she hadn't used in a while.

In her hair, she searched for a pin; it certainly wasn't uncommon for her to just have one hanging somewhere in her hair to hold the unruly pink into a neat bun and sometimes, ponytail. Usually –especially at the ordeals she had been plummeted into immediately after joining team seven – she wasn't surprised to be holding a neat little black bobby pin that seemed just the right size.

She then scanned the room, carefully, searching, and it wasn't until a few moments later that she found the will to climb on top of the bed, search the folds of the blanket once more, only to come up with nothing. A crease formed on her brow. If Naruto would go as far as to use a camera to track her movements, he certainly would bug her bed; safety precautions of course, but the sarcasm was practically dripping in the recesses of her mind.

Eventually, after making a clean sweep through the bed, under the pillows, in discreet crevices and even the wall itself, she checked under the bed. In those moments of aimless searching - a handy trick she had learned through the institution to detect even the smallest bug simply because information analysts held were at high regard – the pinkette had time to think, possibly reflect.

She'd felt strange since joining the team, not herself, even cold. Perhaps she had been so used to getting her ideas taken seriously that the negligence her team showed only increased her frustrations. Maybe it was showing; maybe they did not trust her because of this, and she suddenly wished that her mentor was here, seated at that large imposing desk, hand clasped over the other with a half smirk on her face. Lady Tsunade had always been confident – Sakura was quite sure of – and would have known Sakura's emotions right to the tee.

A moment later, she came upon a small bug, hidden under a nook on the rickety bed. It was disabled, she could tell, and it baffled her for a second.

Why plant a bug if it was not in use?

She stood a moment later, rigidly, and turned to look back into the hallway.

She needed a distraction, something to get the camera to look away from her.

Sakura stood for a moment, letting it override her brain before she realized that she had been standing in one place for a while, panicking, walking around looking for signs of betrayal and it was ironic.

Wasn't she doing it right now? Could it honestly get worse?

She shook her head in response and walked regally into the hallway.

The camera swiveled in her direction – as if in disbelief that she had dared to walk out of her room – and she approached it like she had every right to, grabbing its round smooth head – and she noted the small symbol indicating that it was a product of Konoha – and jabbed the pin into the crevice of the face, a weak spot she had learned; once again, a product of the Institute's proper training.

The machine attempted to move its head, but the pin kept it locked to one direction, facing the wall uselessly. That had been her intention in the first place anyway, but she had wanted to at least have a distraction to stop the camera from recording her features.

But, screw it, she had to know.

It was an answer, The Attraction Effect, she knew it, and it would make things better? Wouldn't it?

She made her way into the sparsely decorated open-concept living room. To the left was the obvious bulk of machinery; the imposing large screen and various wires and other components surrounding it only further acknowledged the fact that it was, indeed, Sai's.

Sakura made her way to the front of it, lightly tracing the corners of the computer, before seating herself upon the small stool – probably placed there in Sai's haste to work on whatever mechanics worked on during their spare time; the thought of him hurrying to do that was humorous, on a rather fond note. Feeling along the corners of the machine for any ridges took a few seconds, before she noticed the simple slot in the front of its face. It was spectacularly ideal and she fought a wry smile before pulling out the USB; she slotted it in.

There was a second – that hair-raising moment where she believed something was wrong and Hinata had tricked her and the USB might have possibly been a virus and was now deleting important files and Hinata would be laughing somewhere, does eyes closed in mirth and black hair spilling down her back as she chortled – then the machine whirred to life and a breath of relief left the pinkette before she leaned against the screen.

The computer's main ANBU system popped up and she typed into the search bar situated in the middle of the screen: _The Attraction Effect. _

The sign for restricted popped up before disappearing into the background –and fleetingly, Sakura inferred that the virus was doing its job.

The file opened and in swift italics were the words:

_File Name: The Attraction Effect_

_Code name implemented by the prestigious analyst, Orochimaru. _

_An experiment proposed to the ANBU based on inserting chakra passages into the average human with no signs of a chakra signature. This enhancement would result in a stronger ANBU force, in contrast to the typical clan with bred- chakra users passed from a pure line from generation to generation. _

_The research was regarded to be unorthodox by the council when experiments resulted in deformations and abnormalities from test subjects:_

_001_

_003_

_005_

_004_

_006_

_008_

Sakura paused, scrolling down the list of numbers –and felt a chill at the distance it installed in referring to humans as numbers instead of names, especially since they had risked their health for such an experiment. She visibly shivered at that, wrapping her hands around herself momentarily, before shaking fingers rested on the touch screen once more to scroll down the list of numbers, evidently long. Emerald eyes searched:

_The experiment was shut down by Anko, assistant to Orochimaru in the early stages of the experiment and was met with great resistance from Orochimaru himself._

_Result was a banning of the experiments and Orochimaru being stripped of his title. _

A means of motive, Sakura immediately thought, glancing at the name. It seemed almost obvious that it was wrong, and she buried the information in her brain, especially his assistant's, Anko.

She made to turn scroll down a little further, read a little more, perhaps, but the sudden sound of rampaging footsteps – a heavy, dull, repetitious sound – made her gather her wits long enough to pull the USB out and stuff it into her pocket – no doubt, doing some damage to it; she made note that she would check later – and turn off the computer.

A million excuses ran through her head as the door opened.

She just didn't expect to see a familiar shock of raven hair and dark charcoal eyes.

Sasuke staggered in; a sort of regal grace she certainly – as a small village girl – could never grow used to. Bleary onyx eyes glanced around the room – she could tell by the way his right hand clutched against the frame of the door as if it were a lifeline or support. His eyes were squinting, as if he were looking into the distance and he out a groan.

"Sasuke-?" the pinkette began slowly, reeling off the stool quietly, as if he would forget she was supposed to be sleeping if she were as quiet as possible; maybe she would disappear in this way.

He looked tired –and gee, that was an understatement – and his breaths were soft, but oddly loud in the quiet room.

Sakura approached him quietly, "Sas-"

He cut her off with a scowl "Quiet, for a moment, jus-" he slurred on the 't' and pitched forward.

She helped him into the nearest couch and he sat for a bit, but it seemed like it had served it's purpose after a few moments of silence because he began his speech again, "You'd think tha' with the luck we've been having recently, we'…" he paused, as if he'd forgotten what he'd just said and continued, "Little bitch she is, isn't she? 'scaped me 'fore I could ask for anything. Threw my kunai back at me an' ran"

Sakura could hardly keep up with his mumblings, so leaned a bit closer to listen.

The taint of cheap alcohol was on his breath, and the female recoiled ever so slightly, "What happened exactly?" Her words came out a tad bit more demanding than how she had meant to make it sound.

"threw my kunai back at me; deadly accurate" for a second, Sakura noted that the mist in his eyes cleared, "She's dumb, always has to prove herself, pushin' me away," he recalled the rest frigidly, though in his state, "after she used a smoke bomb. Caught me by surprise. Naruto's too late"

"Where are they?" this time, she sounded gentler and was glad to be able to control that.

"At the archives, the scroll's been moved there for protection. She didn' – probably" he corrected, "probably won' show up. Too many agen's an' guards. Damnit"

The last words rose in volume and startled her.

"She's mine you know" he muttered, and glanced at the roof. It was a clean patch of white – the roof that is – now that it was being observed in a moment of curiosity.

Sasuke stood, though staggered.

"You should sit, I'll get you some medicine an-"

"No, leave it alone" He didn't glance back and made his way for his bedroom.

It was a slow gait and she only watched in a quiet sort of way that signified a bystander – it was forlorn - and she started to resent it. It coiled in the pit of her stomach and though she told herself quietly, _think of Lady Tsunade. When she became an analyst, she was ignored and not respected by her team. Now look at her. _But her words twisted in her mind. _Yes, look at her. She has an institute to train students to become just like her, and it probably feeds her ego. She's strong too and perfect and beautiful and…_

Sakura stooped herself. The coil restricted around her chest loosened and she took a breath, only to take another sharp one in when she heard a crash in the distance.

A colorful string of curse words followed from the male in the hallway, and when she ran to see if he was ok, she immediately noted the camera – the one Naruto had planted as a firm show of distrust for her – all over the floor; scattered and a mess from the raven- heads carelessness most likely.

He turned to glare at her again when she reached out to help him. "I'll be fine" he gritted out and entered his room, ignoring the shattered mess at her feet.

It was a grand mess; and she didn't mean that in a sarcastic sense. It looked as if he had steeped on it in his haste, noticed it and stepped on it again before throwing it against the wall, as if it were a vent for his frustrations; though, most likely, it was. A bolt had managed to roll to her door and stood separate from the rest, misdirected and lost. The rest were splattered, like a broken toy that a child had outgrown and disposed off in their haste to be rid of it; it was almost tragic.

She wondered at this, before slowly leaning down to pick up the bobby pin she had jabbed into the camera earlier. It was still in one piece, unhindered by the mess of broken machinery around it. Wordlessly, she put it back into her locks of pink hair and glanced once again at the mess.

She noted something shiny in the corner and went to inspect it.

The memory chip, she realized; it could be retained by Sai and he would see her walking out of the room through the camera's memory.

Languidly, as if in a trance, she picked it up and dumped it into the centre of the mess.

She crushed the memory card against the floor, watching it break, unaccustomed to such rough treatment. When it was finally ruined and destroyed like the rest of the machinery around her, she walked into her room.

This time, she slept and dreamt of broken toys and Hinata crying.

She was more scared than sorry.

* * *

><p>Shorter chapter, I know, but I really don't have as much time as I thought I would. Midterm is coming and I'm completely immersed in my grades. I'll update asap, yes?<p>

Reviews fuel faster updates, honestly.

Another note: Sakura will deteriorate in this story, as will others (I doubt this is a spoiler), so she is not, certainly not perfect. She will rage in her new position and change. I think it's used in language terms as a metamorphosis or reverse metamorphosis (yes, excuse the rant, please)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Reviews are always loved and honestly do encourage faster updates, and as promised, a fast update with a longer chapter; think of it as an apology for taking so long for the previous one.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**The Beauty Kills**

(o)(O) Otogakure 6:15pm (O)(o)

It was evening when Hinata reached Otogakure; the sun was already at half-mast, its pearly orange rays grazing the surfaces of the cloud to paint a pretty tone of reds and yellows. This further served to make the view seem less menacing; though she would never imply that the village was ugly. There were walls everywhere – white walls – and it was just enough that it made her feel caged; much like a bird in the confines of its domestic home. At the same time, there were little houses in a straight row, each with a freshly trimmed lawn and a perfect little porch and smiling people still out and about. The point was proven when a child fell to the right of her and troubled neighbors who had seen the spectacle went to support the child up, who smiled with perfect teeth and lush large eyes and responded with petty pleasantries and 'no maim, I'm fine' and 'it sure was nice of you all to help me'. It was the perfect scene in the perfect world.

Her musings stopped when she approached a large white building – much like the walls of the village – and opened the double doors with ease.

There was a woman at the desk in the front - the receptionist, she presumed – who looked up at the sound and smiled at first notice of the raven-head. "Welcome miss" she said politely, though there was a distance in her tone; perhaps she was new, Hinata pondered in her mind more than questioned. "Lady Anko would be pleased to see you immediately." The receptionist had pearly white teeth as well with sweeping long blonde hair that seemed to roll down her face in the perfect waves before resting elegantly on her shoulder, and the loveliest blue eyes that Hinata could vaguely link to someone else.

_Naruto… _

But the lady had a more glazed sheen to the color of her eyes, making it look almost dark blue in the light and her hair was not frizzy and unruly at all with noticeable highlights that worked just right with her fair skin; this served to remove the Hyuuga female's nostalgia.

"This way please" the woman had an elegant stride to her step and took to walking ahead of the other female, blonde hair bouncing as she walked, crisp black pencil skirt and white blouse enhancing her lithe frame.

"Thank you, I appreciate that." It came out strained though.

Hinata took the steps to follow.

They reached a heavy oak door and a drawl reached her ears, "Thank you Misaki"

The female was drawn out of her reverie to glance at the blonde who was flushing a pink color- very noticeable on her skin –who was stuttering like a startled doe, "Why thank you Lady Anko, it's always a pleasure, really, you're welcome" and she bowed clumsily, perfect little white blouse crinkling under her movements before casting one more shy look at the woman – Anko – and then she left, closing the wooden oak doors behind her.

Hinata stiffened as she took a look at the imposing figure; scratch that, the imposter.

It was a known fact that Otogakure, Oto for short was a small, but rich city, almost as well-off as Konoha with a traditional head, much like Suna's Kazekage, Gaara, and Konoha's Lady Tsunade. Anko was the leader, ruling with her charismatic smile, her ridiculously fitting purple hair that only seemed to work with her, her rash, though brilliant deductions in the heat of the battle, and a thirst for knowledge. Known, also quite prestigiously for her easy deduction of Orochimaru's –Hinata shivered at the thought – experiments and his unorthodox methods to enable a species of super- modified humans; much like the already known ninja's who were almost always recruited into the ANBU due to their special abilities.

Perfect in the eyes of the world.

But, acid to Hinata; after all, Anko's traits qualified her to be the _perfect_ victim of Orochimaru's influence, his poison.

The Hyuuga had discovered, almost bitterly, after Anko's quick rise to fame at her bravery to speak against her partner, Anko had easily slid into an embroiled seat fit only for a leader; then of course, she was crowned as one. Orochimaru had only so easily escaped – unknowingly - his sentence into jail, an incompetence on the ANBU's part and tainted Anko's mind with promise of more power, a seat on his throne that would include her as well as triple, no, quadruple the amount of influence she already had; the hypocrite.

It was simple really; Anko had grown into a fat cat, pleased by being spoon-fed wealth and respect from those around – a contradiction from her unhealthy childhood where she had had to study for hours on end to attain an honorable position in the ANBU – and now, what more to take? Of course, after months on months to years by working next to Orochimaru's side, she must have fallen in love. Oh, the grandeur that would occur at hearing his slippery collection of vivid images of the future; she would be a queen wouldn't she?

Hinata had discovered all this in the span of two years where she had been shuffled into Anko's care – and at that time, she was already secured as a leader – and had noticed her soft gaze on the odious man. It was gentle and made her almost honey colored orbs seem prettier and it was mushy and sweet and all aimed at Orochimaru; and God, it was so wrong.

A small part of Hinata remembered when she had seen Sakura for the first time; a regal beauty with pink, but fitting hair and sharp emerald eyes and the knowledge that could be spun in such eyes. She hoped Sakura had read the file, all of it, carefully and thoroughly and looked at something the ANBU had overlooked in haste; they deemed the convict to be in some crude cave hidden far away from the rest civilization when really, he was bathed in luxury in the largest building with a hidden room right in the middle of Oto; the irony. Where else would Orochimaru be but in Anko's arms; with she who was his partner. And with Anko's influence and a generous purse – yes, really – most would keep their mouth shut and the naïve would simply be drawn in by that charismatic smile Anko now seemed to throw away just as easily as her wallet; ah, the things she would do for love.

As if sensing the Hyuuga's looks, the taller female smiled and made a motion towards a heavily embodied seat to her right, a round table on the left surrounded by similar looking chairs. "Have a seat m'dear" she purred and her waxen features widened into a grin, an eerie one if Hinata could add.

The Hyuuga held back the need to recoil when Anko placed her arms around her as she took the offered spot, somewhere between tenseness and forced calm.

Anko's hands were cold when they momentarily touched a hint of skin on the back of Hinata's neck and her hair rose slightly in response.

"I've been hearing certain things lately Hinata" the older woman purred, finally letting go of the other, and Hinata could let out a soft breath at this, "The scroll, you couldn't get it I presume?" She moved towards the opposite end of her and continued gently, as if coaxing her,

The raven-head unknowingly pursed her lips at that and placed her hands on her lap instead of the table, if only to hide her trembling fingers. She lamented; Anko was slightly more chilly –literally, more cold than usual and there was a prominent way letters rolled off her tongue as if she were whispering. Her grace was noted, yes, but this time, more sinuous, as if she possessed no bones and moved solely on rough skin and rippling grey flesh.

She suddenly felt sick.

Anko – no, it wasn't Anko – smiled noticeably; that smile wasn't hers. It was all wrong and twisted and her eyes were different now; almost slits, like a predator's eyes.

The woman's grin grew larger, wilder and she laughed, "Ah, you always were a perceptive one my little love."

The endearment only made Hinata stiff as she stood to bow. The chair scraped back at her abrupt movement and she hid her hands behind her back to hide the shaking, which had gotten worse in the span of time. Her lips almost began to tremble, but with effort, she pulled off a warm, "Lord Orochimaru." The title was only to feed his ego.

He – but really she, due to the feminine body – smiled, "I was getting a little weak, you see, my little love, and Anko was the only one there. So I drained her chakra and took over her body. It felt like sliding into new skin; quite comfortable if you must know." She didn't, but he enjoyed describing his killings, a wild gleam in his eyes – hers, because it was still Anko's body, "You wanna know how I did it, right?" His shook in childish glee, "She was getting weak. When you went out on that special little mission I gave you, she started questioning and talking and it was really starting to wear on my nerves. I was sick little love and really, my chakra was starting to drain. I needed to…_replenish._"

Something cold chocked Hinata's throat.

Anko was dead. Sure, she never liked her, but still, she was dead and Orochimaru was walking around in her skin and her bones and her flesh like it was nothing; and he was happy and healthy and just wouldn't die. He could do anything couldn't he?

He snapped his fingers, much too feminine and dainty for the act or really any act of his, drawing her away from her thoughts, "I just discovered something recently little love" and he took a hold of her shoulders.

Hinata held back a gasp.

"The way to end this constant weakness"

And the female's head snapped up into his eyes. Panic; oh god, the panic. Not yet. Sakura still needed the time and then she would solve it and figure it out and then Hinata thought, _I could go home and never have to stay here. Sakura will solve it. She has too. She'll do it. _

Orochimaru smiled at her sudden faraway look; it was practiced, "Ah, but I'm not done yet. It was so simple really. I need to find the strongest vessel possible." He smiled, "Yes, it's so simple that I overlooked it. A young body perhaps. Preferably a male" he took hold of a lock of her hair, "One that can take chakra and absorb it, then use it efficiently; explains why he has to be strong. We'll form a link then, you and I little love. And when the body starts to deteriorate without chakra, I'll take it from you." He smiled and it was so wrong on Anko's face, "Then you'll rest and replenish, then gain more chakra, and when I grow weak again, I'll take more. I'll work out a way to keep you and I alive and the cycle will never end; just between us, yes?"

His grip tightened.

She knew it was her turn to speak, "I- I'd be honored Lord Orochimaru" and she gave her softest smile, though a little shaky.

He noticed the weakness, but his smile was soothing, "You must be tired" and he motioned her towards the door, "why don't you rest and we'll speak of it more when you're well?"

She nodded weak, "Yes Lord Orochimaru, thank you" and she turned to walk, and she measured her steps precisely so that she wouldn't begin to run before she reached the door.

She'd been at his side, waiting, just waiting for a time to strike, to get him at his weakest; but it was all wrong and nothing was coming out right and he was getting stronger. She had been so close; so sure that if she had just got that last scroll and handed it to him, he would beam with such happiness, such unguarded happiness, that she would be able to kill him and he would fall, like his containers before him. She could go home then, couldn't she?

No, not this time.

There'd be another chance perhaps? And her hands shook and breath caught at that.

It took Hinata precisely three minutes and thirteen seconds to reach her room and five seconds to open the door and shut it behind her.

A minute after, she vomited.

(o)(O) Amegakure 7:27pm (O)(o)

"Well, you slept the day away." It was Sai who was helping Sakura sit up in the bed, a mug of chocolate milk in hand, warmed to just the right temperature that steam furled into the air, but not enough to burn Sakura's hands.

There was a calming atmosphere around him – weird that Sakura admitted to that – and his gaze was steadily on her face, whether due to being weary or worried for her sake in his own special way. His usual half-not-really-a-smile was on his face and he was seated on the chair that Naruto had previously occupied a day ago; oh, yes, it had been a day.

She tasted her next words on her palette, "Sorry, I was more tired than I thought"

Sai's face remained – thankfully – passive and he motioned for her to rest against the bed and stood, "Whenever you feel like it, you can get up. Just don't spend another day in here. We have to get back to Konoha. Hinata's disappeared again and we need to regroup with another ANBU force." An ironic smile took his features, "They are starting to think that this case is too big for us to handle alone." He reached the door of her room, made an absentminded wave behind his back, and left.

She sat quietly for a few more minutes, reaching for the USB still safely tucked in her pocket and frowned.

What were the chances of one of them realizing that she was hiding something? The Attraction Effect intel perhaps?

A shock of blonde hair entered moments later, and her head snapped up to look at him. She carefully juggled the cup against her waist before placing it on the wooden stand beside her bed to place full attention on Naruto.

"Naruto" she acknowledged, face set, bordering on impassive.

He responded, but there was a weakness in his tone, "Sakura…we've been unfair, I know"

She looked at him, lips set in a tight line and said nothing; it would be better that way.

He seemed to have expected that response and seated himself comfortably, "I'll first start by saying, Sasuke isn't going to apologize for his actions last night. He's a total ass like that." Another weak humorous smile warped his face; a joke he perhaps had repeated and didn't find quite funny anymore.

She urged him to continue by directing her gaze to his blue eyes – they really were a lovely color – and situated herself comfortably, propped up against her pillow.

He continued, shifting, "I…" he looked at a loss on where to start.

"From the beginning" she stated, waiting.

"Yes," he paused, "Sasuke was…well he was…"

"Naruto" it was a warning; she wanted to say, _I'm a part of your team and anything about anybody that jeopardizes our efficiency and safety is important, _but she bit back her retort. Years at the institute only made her want to voice what she knew was correct and hard facts. Reality was not quite as accommodating.

"He was…well, he does come from an old line of chakra – users." He had meant to say ninja, Sakura observed, but it would have sounded ridiculous. The media knew how to overplay the term 'ninja' till it could be looked at as a joke; an effort on their part to make people, therefore, enemies underestimate the ANBU, filled with a sum of ninja's, most rather hard to find as pure lines were excessively hard to come across. It only made striking the enemy that much easier; clever, but stupid at the same time and it certainly spoke of irrational fear and a need to control.

Naruto looked behind him then turned back to her to continue, a little bit hurriedly, "His line is one of the least pure actually, the Uchiha's."

Sakura gathered that she was supposed to react to that, so she nodded for him to continue.

"Madara, the first Uchiha had a lot of chakra, was really strong too. He took a wife who was also a strong ninja," he took a breath and continued, "They didn't inbreed or anything as the line carried on; they could already see that eventually, inbreeding would result in deformed children and then cousins would have to marry each other until it got to the point that they would die simply because there were no more of them that were far enough apart in genes that their child would not be born severely deformed or filled with mental problems." He sighed and continued, "So to compensate for this, they, as in the clan, agreed that a Uchiha male or female could marry anyone they choose as long as their spouse had chakra, enough that their child would be a guaranteed chakra-user as well."

Sakura frowned, "Though it is unfortunate if someone were to fall in love with a non-ninja, I don't see what you're getting at"

The blonde continued without skipping a beat, "No, I guess nothing is wrong. Sasuke was raised as a Uchiha from the main branch, really strong, even when he was a kid and he was supposed pressured to find a future bride." An ironic smile came upon his features, "You know, incase all female chakra-users died off or were taken before he grew up. Uchiha's are possessive like that. So, Sasuke chose Hanabi, Hinata's little sister. At that time, he only wished to please his father, so he did whatever he could. He'd perfect his jutsus and train and search for hours for the perfect bride. Hanabi was that. She came from a pure line, not completely like the Uchiha's. They inbreed, so they were all guaranteed ninjas who walked around looking like clones of each other"

There was a bitterness in Naruto's tone and it suggested that he was not completely comfortable with what he was saying.

"Hanabi left the clan though, unexpectedly, one day to elope with some guy," he shrugged, "Hinata had to pull the weight of what her sister left behind, and her father was never quite happy either with her." Then, he looked worried, "Sasuke was mad. He told me. He was already in the ANBU academy by then when he realized Hanabi had left and so, he settled for Hinata. She had been dropped from the ANBU program by her father after she attended for two years, her records as a ninja were wiped for protection, and she started taking care of the Hyuuga corps, her father's company since Neji…" Naruto paused at Sakura's confused look, "her cousin that is, couldn't take the position because he wasn't part of the main branch."

He stopped, "I don't know why Sasuke's…obsessed with her, but I can guess that it's because of the underlying need to please his father." Then Naruto added, "He has a brother, you know; Itachi. Complete prodigy, with a wife who's just as beautiful as she is strong. Picture perfect couple and then we have Sasuke's supposed wife, who eloped. Then who do we have left?" He frowned, as if the sentence he was saying finally made sense since it was out loud, "Hinata, who left the academy, then went missing after she was placed under his protection; he was the bodyguard who, the husband, and she's the sudden heiress who is the wife."

Silence ensued and the female took a moment to process the information. He was hiding something. The story seemed almost incomplete in his bland recollection, but she didn't press, "Where's Sasuke now?" she finally asked.

"Konoha" was the brisk reply, "He's going there to demand that he should spearhead the case."

A chill settled down her spine, but she wasn't quite sure why.

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><p>A little longer this time. It should explain everything that needs to be known for now. It's an important chapter in my jumbled mess of a plot (that is currently swimming in my head). The next chapter promises more Sasuke Hinata interaction. If anyone is still confused, please feel free to send me a PM.

No time to really edit it piece by piece. Much too tired, but it's an update, yes? I might consider a beta if possible or if anyone really wants that role…

Reviews encourage faster updates. I thank those who already give me reviews. It warms my heart.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Reviews are always loved and honestly do encourage faster updates.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**It's All Aces**

(o)(O) Otogakure 7:15pm (O)(o)

It was late evening by the time Hinata sluggishly removed herself from bed. For a fleeting moment, she imagined herself to be in the strict confines of her estate; her old home with the looming presence of her father in the other room, speaking in hushed whispers with a new contractor in the midst of staking out a pleasant deal. In this sense, her chest constricted ever so quietly before she was tense, once again, like a bow string as the realization of where she actually was.

She wasn't in a luxurious room – that was apparent – but at the same time, she was not confined to the sickening grays and blacks Orochimaru thought quite pleasant and resourceful. The room was filled with soft blues and whites and maybe, they could be referred to as her favorite colors. Light shone in from one of the large windows, curtains covering most of it in such a way that only a peel of sunshine was able to slip through the unguarded cracks; it was beautiful today, she could tell.

There was a soft rap on her door- the respectful kind, if that could even be distinguished from a regular knock – and it drew her from her tired sprawl against the headboard to make an attempt at the door. She was still clad in grays and blacks, whether from her last mission or the night before; she couldn't quite remember nor could she care to.

The knock stopped after one attempt, and the silence was patient, so she answered it.

"Lord Orochimaru wishes to speak to you" was the immediate reply she received as she was met with a scrawny face and wide, glazed eyes; matted white, almost silver, hair trickled down pale skin. It was a young boy who had come to see her – no one she could obviously remember from past acquaintances – but he was thin and wiry with the look that demanded pity, and there were scars down the side of his arm, insinuating a tough life. This contrasted against a loose shirt with gray pants that seemed ready to pool around his feet in protest.

She answered, "ok" with a small smile, and possibly, she could have thought that it would make a fine way to gain his trust, but she couldn't think in that state of mind at the moment and only wished for a comforting grin in return; they were usually the most beautiful when coming from a child.

The boy stared at her, offered a grim nod and turned to help lead the way, "This way, m'lady" and the words fell like silk upon his lips, and for a second she thought she saw Orochimaru in his stead, but when she blinked, it was the boy once again.

"What's your name?" she attempted, partly out of curiosity, but mostly to fill the room with something, even if it was only her voice; she hated the silence.

"Kimimaro, m'lady" he answered, but he did not turn to meet her eyes; he shuffled a little as he walked, and it would have been cute had it not been for the way it was done, as if he had an impending limp only from a result of torture. Hinata turned her eyes away.

She would have commented that he had a nice name, but she did not know the origins of it nor did she want to offend him, one who seemed so fragile, so she remained quiet.

"Here" he stopped after a moment, the pale oak doors the Hyuuga was familiar with came into sight and Kimimaro turned to stand guard outside.

He motioned for her to enter, and she did with steady, if not, measured steps.

(o)(O) Konoha 9:15am – One Week Hence (O)(o)

The view of the airport disappeared into the distance; a large contrast from the village, which, though modern with tall buildings of woods, metals, and glass, the steely exterior of the airport was almost foreign, centered on the outskirts of Konoha. It seemed to represent an artist's rejection of the scenery, therefore hidden from the view of earth and soft soil Konoha seemed to enthrall.

Sakura was jet-lagged, tired, and at the least, a little bit hungrier than she had first presumed. At first, she had ignored to the meals on the flight back to Konoha with the pretty hostesses who flashed pearly white teeth with 'how may I help you miss?' or 'would you like your pillow fluffed to make you more comfortable?' Eventually, she had settled for a glass of water and a small chicken sandwich, no larger than the palm of her hand.

Now, she could feel the irritated contractions in her stomach.

Or maybe she was just nervous to see Sasuke again…

She had remembered how he had looked at her, though drunk and almost completely incoherent; he'd looked like she had done something amazing before his face had swelled into a familiar scowl, something that hadn't been very noticeable until she had taken the time to look at him; as in, really look at him.

_Hinata._

She'd seen Hinata, of course, and so quickly after she had joined, and Sasuke must have been teeming with joy at how easily the Hyuuga had turned to her, like it had been scheduled or planned; Hinata, Hinata, Hinata as it always seemed to be.

"… can't believe it, and Sakura?"

The pinkette snapped out of her reverie, turning to see the source of the voice.

Blonde hair and bright blue eyes greeted her, a pout pasted on said features and, his eyes were such a lovely blue, and she almost reeled back at how close he was if it wasn't for the fact that she had seen his face plenty times enough; a small part of her could understand the appeal in Naruto, with a thousand watt smile that could assure anyone that everything was going to be alright, and the carefree way he said things despite the consequences. A nagging part also told her that it was because he had finally confessed to the reason why Sasuke seemed to twitch whenever Hinata was mentioned.

That same part was also preening in triumph at the idea that perhaps, Sasuke didn't quite love the Hyuuga, and perhaps it was just his pride that kept him looking for her so adamantly; it could be an overinflated pride and sense of need – to be respected in his family for such a prized trophy wife who would smile at the visitors, yet at the same time, hold her own in conflicts…

The thoughts made her halt her erratic mind and she pulled back down that nagging piece of conscience; the one that was making itself known more often than she wanted it to.

The information seemed to fit into place, too perfectly that it seemed odd, like how one would look back to direct their view on a puzzle piece that seemed to be snug, but was a whole entirly different color from its surroundings. It was the only way Sakura could place that information, but she didn't press, nor did she really want to contemplate it.

"You're not listening to me" it was more of a statement than an actual question; yes, Naruto was still talking.

"Ah, I'm sorry, please repeat" she gave him a careful look, half dazed and partly a semblance of a smile.

He pressed his lips together once more – he looked like a fish – and sighed, "I said, I'm glad we could finally get back here. I'm just a little surprised that they would keep us from coming here as soon as possible. We're a part of Sasuke's team too…" he trailed off and suddenly had a faraway look.

Sakura would have commented, if not for Sai suddenly appearing at her side.

She turned to him.

He was texting.

After a few moments of silence, he finally looked up and granted her with his strange smile, half curled and uninterested. "Turtle" he nodded, a friendly lilt to his tone before he was back to his careful strokes.

"And me" Naruto added.

"Hnn" was the intelligent reply from the raven-head.

It looked like it was going to escalate into an interesting banter before Sakura noticed the cab in the distance, a sharply dressed man, black pressed suit, rolled cuffs and a clean face holding up their names on a board in his hands. In big letters, it was written: Naruto, Sai, Sakura.

"There's our ride" she cut in, and they made their way to the man.

At the sight of them, he tucked the board under his hand and graciously opened the door for Sakura.

She smiled in thanks and the man closed it for her, a flat expression.

When they were all in the car, he finally addressed them, voice not really memorable, but it was enough to get the information across: "Lady Tsunade will see you immediately. The location is classified. There will be no questions until you reach the location."

The female wanted to say that she couldn't give two shits on whether the information was classified or not; she was an ANBU as well, though just a small analytical sector of it, but still enough that she had ID to prove it.

Naruto voiced the thought, "You're fucking joking right? We-" he started, but Sai was ten steps ahead of him.

"We're here to see Sasuke and get our previous case sorted out to report. We mean no trouble" his voice was smooth and reasonable, and the lack of any inclination from the driver suggested a subtle peace from a full out car fight; he was driving after all.

"No harm done" was the driver's reply. "We will be there in half an hour. I am aware that you are team seven, a special branch of the ANBU, and I'm also aware that you have every right to the information, but Lady Tsunade expressed extensively that there should be no question period unless she is the one to answer it"

Sakura mulled this over.

She had missed her teacher, perhaps…

Naruto seemed tensed, but he remained seated and mumbled his agreement, lips pursed in an almost sort of arrogant pout, and Sai only looked to her reassuringly before staring outside the window. He had taken the window seat of course.

After growing bored of the scenery – it took the raven-head only a few minutes, Sakura noticed – he pulled out a laptop from his carryon bag and began a steady rhythm in his typing; most likely editing the latest report case, the one Sakura was pretty sure she had done nothing to help in and Naruto had been left with the brunt of the work to do since Sasuke had been 'out of (his mind) commission'.

She soon leaned back after growing bored of counting the number of times she saw a building through her window and leaned deeper into the seat of the car – it was a limo, she noticed as an afterthought – and went into a half-sleep where she could still consciously hear the annoyed mumbles of Naruto and the steady clicks of Sai's typing.

(o)(O) 9:42am (O)(o)

"So you're insinuating that this is a useless venture for us to pursue independently?" Naruto was saying.

Sakura had never seen the blonde so riled in the month she had known him or the whole team, nor had she ever heard him use a sequence of so many big words all in one sentence, such as 'insinuating' or 'venture' and 'independently'. Usually, he lacked prose and just said it like it was; if he wanted to join in a mission, he'd say, 'hand it over, I can do this, believe it', or something frankly along those lines. Though now, he looked positively livid, so much so that Sakura could see his cheeks turning a faint red with blue eyes flashing so brightly, she might have guessed that he had on special contact lens; the power of technology, really.

"That's not what I'm saying Naruto " Lady Tsunade replied patiently – and she looked much like the proclaimed title of 'lady' in this moment with a lovely blue evening gown, suggesting that she had somewhere important to go immediately. Her eyes softened when Naruto looked too mad to form another intelligent sentence, so she pressed gently, "I'm saying that Hinata is a dangerous target at the moment and we're getting a few more of our ANBU specialists to help you. You know that. And it's not just Hinata that's the problem now, it's whoever she's working for. Intel has been telling us that she definitely isn't a lone rogue ninja and the fact that we've been putting this off is unacceptable. She has one out of the three scrolls. She might even already have the second; Intel's still processing"

Naruto cut in, "But she can't do this all by herself! God, you've seen her granny, she's literally a doll!"

The blonde woman ignored his comment on her age and progressed coolly, her tone still gentle and placating, "You're all still a part of the case" she parried expertly, "It's just that things have gotten bigger than what we would have assumed"

"How so exactly?" Sai expertly stole the scene, leaning against the wall of the common meeting room as if he belonged there, and with his mechanist skills, he most likely did.

"That's classified" Tsunade bit back.

Then Sakura added, "And yet, we're still a part of this case indefinitely?" Challenge was in her eyes, but her hands shook with her words; she wasn't used to going against her former teacher with such vindictiveness.

Tsunade laughed. It was short and sharp, and she looked at the pinkette with a spark of affection, though there seemed to be a layer of sadness underneath that made her lips quirk downwards for a second before they settled into their usual smirk, "Sasuke accepted it with open arms. He's exposed to just a little more information about her and he's preoccupied completely" there was no spite in her tone at that, and for a second, she seemed to look up at the ceiling in thought.

"Good, I'm going to go see him" Naruto finally snapped, and strolled away from the group, not glancing back once at them.

Tsunade watched his back with something akin to sadness and pride and soon thereafter, Sai followed as well with a respectful bow.

There was a moment of silence before Tsunade spoke.

"How have you been doing Sakura?"

"Fine"

The blonde woman sighed, and she readjusted her stance to accommodate the black heels she was wearing, "You've gotten colder"

"And you've gotten more secretive"

The older female paused, "…Sasuke changes people sometimes. The people he work with just…turn different"

"Well, then you should have thought twice about putting me in this team"

"I regret it though"

"I don't." Sakura broke eye contact at that.

"Sakura, you're not like this. What's happened?"

"Then why don't you start by telling me everything, all the protected little secrets that stop us, everyone, from working as a team?" She meant every word; she hated secrets and the way they crawled into crevices and made people turn ugly and sad; shadows of themselves.

"…Sakura, you're not ready for this. I thought – I should have placed you-"

Sakura breathed, "I'm an analyst. You trained me. You graduated me at the top of the class. You said that I was better that clockwork, than a computer even, and that I could solve more than just what's on the page. How can I when the page is blank?"

Tsunade lost a glimmer of that affectionate sheen, "You're obviously tired from your flight… I've flung you mercilessly into a world outside of the walls of the institute. You're tired in more ways than one. Why don't you rest Sakura?"

A pause. A brief flicker of anger, "I'll do that"

She turned.

"Sakura…you're in room 235"

There was a whisper of pink hair before Tsunade was alone.

(o)(O) 9:53am (O)(o)

She stopped by the room to drop her stuff. A small, authoritative part of her said that right after dropping them off and brushing her hair, she would go find Sasuke as well, but instead of a quiet room, she was met with a gentle creak.

Sakura halted. It was dark and from a certain corner of the room, she could hear shadows dance and shades of black swirl into one another; it was not a figment of her imagination, she was certain. She made her way to the one piece of familiar equipment in the apartment; the bed, and placed her things down, glancing warily around before deeming it safe to turn on the light.

A rough hand stopped her and she would have screamed if not for the familiar opal orbs and long raven hair tickling her neck; Hinata was just about her height, and could have been an inch taller if they actually stood back to back and measured; but that was a ridiculous thought at the moment.

"You" Sakura breathed, and noticed Hinata's frantic look.

"Yes, did you read the whole file?"

The question caught Sakura off guard and she would have said a lame excuse –as if she were back in elementary school with ' miss, my dog ate my homework' or 'I was really busy' – but she didn't have the time and instead stammered, "How did you get my room number?" not, 'how did you get past security?'

"I switched your room number" was the vague reply, and Hinata was suddenly repeating, "Did you read the whole file?", though Sakura hadn't had the chance to.

"I-"

Then the door opened and she briefly remembered that she hadn't locked it behind her.

A silhouette of a tall figure walked in. Sasuke had a presence; she noted, when he occupied a room and looked quite nice, garbed in black pants and a t-shirt, a contrast from the rooms rich with pale lavenders and other highlights that would have been lovingly admired if the lights were on.

"Sakura, walk outside for a second" his voice was almost gentle, "I'll tell you everything in a second if you just walk out right now and wait"

She didn't know how to reply, but she could feel Hinata's grip on her arm – she hadn't let go yet – tighten in such a way that it suggested bruises later.

"I-" she started again, but Hinata had already cut in with a biting retort.

"How did you get in here?"

"The same way you did" his eyes were dark, but maybe it was the lack of light, "You're very good at computer data, you needed to be to run the Hyuuga corps" there was appraisal in his tone, "but I've always just been a bit better"

The grip was cutting off Sakura's blood supply, so it was only plausible that she would pull away from the raven-head and turn to Sasuke.

"Everything" Sasuke said, and it was directed to her; his whole gaze on Sakura's that it made her shiver. 'Everything' could have meant 'anything', and that small nagging part in her mind took the forefront and it said that if she listened to him, he would tell her all the secrets, then maybe, some of his own.

She made a move for the door and Sasuke advanced towards Hinata; there was a whimper of protest.

And Sakura had honestly meant to close the door behind her; stay quietly and wait for what he would tell her, but that nagging voice told her to turn around, and… it was wrong.

Sasuke had tipped Hinata back, and his eyes were large and rich with stars and a sample of sunshine. He cradled her like she was porcelain, and exposed her neck like a macabre offering, and her opal eyes betrayed all kinds of guilt, rigid, but pliant in his arms. It looked like he would hurt her – so that must have been why she stayed behind to watch the scene unfold, she told herself – but he bundled Hinata's hair in his hand while the other graced her back and let strands of it fall like waves, and just like a river, his lips fit right into hers.

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><p>Class assignments slowed me down. I'll be sure to update faster during the break. Once again, reviews do encourage faster updates. This had been meant to be posted next week, but I know that a select few were waiting for this, and I wanted to try.<p>

Once again, a big thank you to those who actually took the time to analyze the previous chapter. It was helpful for me to thoroughly understand your thoughts on the story. I am blessed to have such wonderful people who can take their precious time away to do something like that. Sincerely, thank you.

Questions? Feel free to send a message. (though the plot hasn't moved very much at the moment)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Reviews are always loved and encourage faster updates. (I'm pretty sure I write this every chapter)

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**The Right Plea **

Sasuke's kiss was harsh; demanding even, with a tone of unhinged formality that spoke of perfectly pressed suits and straight ties, but his taste was something else entirely, Hinata realized. It had a hint of a male fragrance unique to only him, so much so that she couldn't place a scent so close to it, and there was the undeniable undertone of hospital anesthetics, or perhaps, needles and other forms of it – it reminded her of white tables with rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs piled in the corner to suggest safety.

Then, Hinata realized something – much too late – and she was suddenly struggling in his hold, uprooting her feet from the ground to awkwardly unhinge his vice-grip on her hair and waist. _Quickly_ – and almost desperately – he was slipping that unfamiliar hospital taste into her mouth through his – the scent of needles and anesthetics if she recalled, the one that she had almost passed off as nothing – and she tried not to swallow, but the sharp tug on her hair made it impossible to deny the basic urge.

_No, no, no_

But, she could feel it – the drug - crawl down her stomach, foreign and unwanted, and it made an uncomfortable and troubled path that shot through her spine. 'I don't want this' she thought, but her kunai was too far back in her pocket and she hadn't thought to bring a loaded gun with her – because really, she was a ninja, but a more knowledgeable part of her pointed out that she still wanted to keep that innocence with soft rosy cheeks and a whimsical smile, not all rough edges with a loaded weapon; but then that would insinuate that a knife wasn't a weapon. 'Sakura' was her second thought, but when she turned to see if the other female with those sharp emerald eyes was still there, all she saw was, those eyes, alright, but they were dark to almost gray mush and not quite right, like she was swimming in herself, trying to submerge with some form of coherency intact.

'I can't breathe' she thought – her third thought – and maybe it was due to the fact that Sasuke had been holding her for far too long or maybe it was because of whatever drug he had slipped her, but she felt tired, and suddenly, what she had wanted to tell Sakura was a distant buzz in the back of her mind; static on a tv. _No, _another part was telling her, _not safe…home…it's…there's… _and she didn't know why that was important; the words weren't piecing themselves back together.

She felt for a second, like she was swimming, and everything around her seemed distorted; moving into shapes.

_I…_

But her train of thought fell silent.

(o)(O) 11:00am (O)(o)

When Hinata opened her eyes, she was propped up against a chair, hands bound expertly.

"Strange, isn't it?" Sakura's face was only meters away from her, mouth set into a grim line, "I was in this exact same position, a month or two ago perhaps?" The analyst's face was a cross between contempt and worry.

Hinata let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "Sakura" she started, when she noticed the lack luster gaze in those emerald eyes, "Now isn't the time. I need you t-to…" She cut herself off, trying to let in another breath; she hadn't stuttered since she was thirteen years old, losing it forcibly in favor of the maturity required as a Hyuuga heir – a makeshift one in lieu of the elopement of Hanabi, really: "Please, this is important" and she allowed herself, for the moment to let her guard down around Sakura, because Sakura's emotions were always depicted in her eyes; brilliant and terse.

It was welcome.

Sakura looked confused, but not the kind that suggested actual confusion, just the kind where she was attempting to focus, but couldn't quite get it right, "I, alright" she seemed to think for a second, like she had expected something else entirely, "Sasuke said to wait here for him though and that I have to make sure that you don't leave" She blinked slowly, "so don't leave. He'll be back soon and then…he'll tell me everything and give me everything"

"He drugged me" Hinata answered; she noticed that an upward tone in her voice had made itself known, making her sound squeaky; scared and surprised, she was perhaps, both of those.

"So you wouldn't run" emerald orbs found a focal point in the corner of the dark room, "I thought, if you were here, maybe, things would settle down and start to make sense." Her face hardened and she finally fully looked away; it was enough that Hinata could not see her expression, "You're wanted, you know" and that statement could have meant anything in the context of the situation; a situation that seemed to become a sort of train wreck.

The raven-head frowned, but her bottom lip seemed to catch, almost quivering, "You need to let me-"

Sakura swerved back towards her so abruptly, Hinata's head snapped back, "Why!" Emerald orbs flashed and suddenly, she was half-yelling, her voice hoarse and high, an undertone of desperation in it, "What is going on? Everything's just so strange and I can't understand" there was a soft laugh, "I don't even know if I want to know…but… I do." The last segments of her speech trailed off into a whisper, floating into the empty air.

Hinata understood this situation – not quite so well that she could pinpoint the pinkette's train of thought, but she wouldn't be angry – and she began her carefully worded sentences: "The Attraction Effect is Orochimaru's greatest creation, concept – or whatever you want to call it. He experimented on people, tried to put chakra into them to make them stronger; ninjas. Then, when he came close to the answer, he did it on himself"

"But, Anko…" Sakura cut in, switching gears so easily; it couldn't be particularly healthy for her at all, and her face looked soft and tired, like she hadn't slept in a while.

"Is a part of it – was a part of it – Orochimaru's the bigger picture" Hinata's gaze faded and she struggled to maintain that cool gait she had to hold up at most times. She pushed the topic away and continued, "He succeeded, but his body is too weak and the chakra's eating away at him – he was never meant to be a ninja, you know – so I thought I…he's still so strong…" she trailed off then continued, "but the scrolls, he learned of the scrolls. When all are collected, he can do anything"

"And you're helping him?"

Hinata reeled back at that, "No, never!" and she tried not to let surprise, disbelief, and all that fear show on her face, but her stomach crawled with it: "N-no, I can still…I'm trying to help you"

Sakura breathed slowly and the raven-head noticed that she looked feverish in listening to her, but her lips thinned and she nodded rigidly. Eyes were alight in a look – one of hunger for knowledge and curiosity that could otherwise be a redeeming quality – that could only be expected of an analyst; an ANBU analyst at that, "Later, tell me" she looked troubled, "after all this" and she made a motion to the air, indicating what a mess things were; Hinata agreed.

The Hyuuga continued, "…But he needs to buy time, so he finds containers – bodies – and they're all ninja. Then he drains them."

"Drains them…?" Sakura went pale, but she spoke quickly thereafter, "He's after Sasuke?"

Hinata frowned – not necessarily surprised by that train of thought - then she shook her head, trying to inch into a more comfortable position, "No, Itachi" then she added, "Sasuke's brother"

"What?"

"Itachi's taken on a safer job because of his wife's baby"

Sakura looked slow to absorb the information, "A baby…", then, "Oh god, we have to-" she fumbled with Hinata's bounds, "It's Sasuke's family, we have to tell him, damn-" she struggled, then pulled Hinata up; the Hyuuga couldn't help but notice the strength in the lift and she noted that if the pinkette had taken an exam into the spy field, it might have worked.

Hinata made to leave – perhaps there was another way out - but Sakura's grip stopped her, not because it was firm, but because it was shaking, like she was suppressing something; fear. "You're coming with me," Sakura bit out.

"I-" then she grounded herself. All she had done was run, then drop a hint, then run and hope for a solution to work that couldn't possibly reach fruition – and Sakura was shaking.

"Ok"

They raced through the halls, Hinata a step behind the analyst, trusting that she knew where she was going.

Mid-run, Sakura panted out, "Does Orochimaru know where you are?" Emerald orbs flickered with a known emotion – it made sense of course, Hinata had seen it in a few people; many, actually – and Hinata wouldn't comment on it.

"I'm taking a walk right now…a really long one"

It would have been funny if they had been kids running from their parents for a sneak-out into an ice cream shop; but of course, it really wasn't that at all.

They stopped at an elevator; no one had seen them yet - Sakura had taken to being discrete and Hinata thought _'thank goodness'_. During the silence, only supported by soft breathing, Sakura had looked at her for a long time – it had a stinging affect to it, like being scrutinized under a glass case – then her eyes had wondered back to the ground.

There was a pause.

"Sasuke…" Sakura asked finally, almost timidly, "…is a ninja?"

The answer was obvious, but Hinata shifted and looked towards the door, confirming whatever the pinkette was thinking, if that would slow the chill that had settled, "Yes"

A second later the elevator opened, and they bounded into the main hall.

Sakura stopped and looked at Hinata. "Wait here, I'll get Sasuke" a wry grin, "He'll probably come running here anyway when he sees I'm not with you", that cold look was there again for a second and then she turned to run, not stopping to look back, "Oh, the cameras are temporarily down. I don't know if Sasuke did it or you did…"

Hinata wanted to say that Sasuke probably did it, but the analyst had turned the corner.

She probably had not wanted an answer.

(o)(O) 11:12am (O)(o)

Sakura found Sasuke in the control room of the ANBU headquarters – conveniently a part of the building – and he seemed to be in a deeper section of the computer's mainframe, dark orbs flashing from the digital data to another segment on a much smaller computer by its side – obviously, the room had many computers.

She noted that it was the security code for the ANBU; whether it was to help his case or maybe, it was a job for Lady Tsunade, she couldn't be quite sure. His alliances seemed to blur at the prospect of the Hyuuga.

It was dark with the exception of flashing lights from the monitors and the spots on controls; there was also the distinct hum of the computer motors.

He was leaning back comfortably on a chair, and his posture seemed more relaxed than what she was used to seeing, and he was positively immersed in what he was doing.

"Sasuke" she said, and he almost jumped, looked at her, and then swore:

"Where the fuck is Hinata?"

"She's waiting," she said with apprehensive agreeability, the flinch in her posture concealed by the darkness of the room, "But your brother's in trouble and…"

He easily brushed past her, steps quickening to a run, enough that he missed the splash of hurt, then anger on her face, "Had it ever occurred to you that she could be lying and is already on the run?"

Sakura followed, their run already turning into a sprint. Her automatic reaction was to say, _'damn', _then protect herself and add,_ 'she wouldn't do that; I told her to stay'_ but how could she question what Hinata would or wouldn't do?

A part of her found no fault in Hinata leaving; wait, that certainly wasn't right at all; Sakura clutched her head.

But, when they reached the section of the hall, Hinata was there, and she was biting her lip and pacing. Raven hair that always seemed so soft in Sakura's eyes were frazzled, trailing down her back in a haphazard sort of wave and she was visibly letting out steadying breaths; a routine in trying to calm herself in the situation that she was in. It didn't seem to be quite effective, and at the sight of them, opal orbs widened before her posture turned lax.

Sasuke raced ahead, pushed Hinata against the wall, and kissed her.

There was no eloquent way to put it, Sakura found, and she felt once again like something in her was missing – no, to cliché – that something inside her was wrong and twisting.

The Hyuuga didn't struggle, but she had let out a gasp in surprise – but it seemed to be more of a shuddering, great sigh – then she involuntarily leaned away.

And Sasuke pulled back – not caring for the audience – and he seemed to breathe in deeply, no longer tense, then he pulled himself closer, as if he wanted to melt into her – then she couldn't get away, could she? – and murmured something against her neck.

Restlessly, Hinata grasped his arms, one hooked on her hip and the other against the wall. She, in turn, whispered something back to him; it was quick and choppy and she finally stated in an audible tone, enough for Sakura to hear, "Please?" she asked, and Sakura didn't understand, but a small part of her whispered, _'That's despicable, what she's doing. Taking advantage of him like that and-' _she pushed down the thought when Sasuke looked her way.

He smirked, and it was lovely, "Let's go"

Sakura took his cue and followed them into another direction – a very discrete part of the headquarters that seemed to be only used for hidden getaways, speaking truly of spies and dark corners. They lined up against a false door against the wall and suddenly, they were in another pathway.

"It's a secret route, only the ANBU Black Ops would know" he stated simply, and it was the way he said it that made him seem powerful – wasn't it always a fantasy of hers? The tall, dark, and handsome type. A part in her filed mind stated, _The ANBU Black Ops are a subdivision of the ANBU itself; a very specific part dealing with very specific cases-_

"Will Naruto come?"

Sakura blinked at the gentle tone in which Hinata was saying it. She hadn't quite forgotten the Hyuuga was with them; it was hard to miss in the way the female seemed to be so good in blending with walls and making the darkest corners of the hallways her home. '_Because she ran for a long time' _her mind concluded, ignoring the acidity in that concept.

There were so many things that could go wrong in this situation, in this moment, and in this time, and she was wondering if Naruto would come? The pinkette wanted to say that it was too risky, that the whole 'trio mission/warning' idea was risky, that even involving other people who deemed the Hyuuga a criminal was riskier, but Sasuke stated the answer just as easily:

"No"

And Sakura wondered whether the male said that for the sake of the mission's safety or another reason entirely.

They reached a warehouse section – it made no sense how such a large structure could be connected to the headquarters and not be noticed; was it underground? – and Sasuke ushered them towards a black convertible – no specifics on what type of car it actually was; Sakura was no car expert.

"Naruto's asleep and Sai's on another mission" Sasuke did a simple run through as they entered the car, "He won't be awake for another two hours…" the male seemed to frown as he said that, a spark of something similar to annoyance flash in coal orbs before he continued smoothly, as if nothing was amiss: "And Sai will be back by the end of the day, knowing him and team three's efficiency"

Sakura would have questioned what members Team three was made of, but now wasn't the time.

"Itachi lives at another remote section of Konoha. He has two houses, so we'll check them both" There was a nonchalant air in the way Sasuke said it, as if he were perfectly calm with the situation; but then, ANBU were trained to be this calm. He – who took the driver's seat – pulled them into a tunnel.

She had taken the seat beside him and Hinata had scrambled to the back; Sasuke didn't seem to mind because he seemed to stare periodically at the front mirror for her, as if to ensure that the Hyuuga was still there.

It did nothing to soothe Hinata, and her posture was tense and she kept on staring out the window; it was still dark.

When it became too painful to glance between the two – Sakura assured herself that it was because she had to crane her neck into an awkward position to see them – she turned away.

The rest of the ride was silent.

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><p>I was supposed to publish this yesterday, but I was so immersed in a project that I forgot (of course I would have holiday homework and exams to study for *sigh*). I apologize if people were waiting longer than they thought. The next should be out sooner? I hope?<p>

Thank you for the reviews, I appreciate them and they were all lovely to read. This chapter felt a little choppy and I honestly tried to do some editing, but I always miss the occasional spelling error etc.

Reviews please (if you have the time)? Questions? PM me.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Reviews please (if you have the time)?

Once again, this story constantly switches between Sakura's point of view and Hinata's. It'll be apparent which point of view it is based on whose thoughts are running…

Before starting, I want to note that there is a difference between infatuation and love. Infatuation is blind to the faults of a person and often sees them as perfect, yet love is a whole hearted devotion to that person, but there is a strong awareness of their faults.

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**It's All False**

(o)(O) 12:54pm (O)(o)

The car pulled up to a house – no, it was a mansion to be precise – and Sasuke easily cut the engine.

Sakura noted that the lawn was freshly cut, bits of grass cleanly cleared into a pile in the corner – probably to be thrown away sometime later- and there was a large fence; it was the metal kind though, signifying, obviously, that the Uchiha's were rich. The house was painted in lovely light colors, the blends and tones seeming to fit in with the theme of warmth. She affirmed that it probably had something to do with a baby on the way; the house seemed to be the epitome of domestication.

From behind her, Hinata let out a sharp intake of breath – whether it was from the sheer size and beauty of the place or fear of her decision – and closed her eyes for a second before opening them slowly.

Sakura made to mention if the Hyuuga was ok, but Sasuke beat her to it, sliding by her side and placing a hand on her forehead as if to check her temperature. His eyes darkened – something that the analyst couldn't quite yet decipher expertly, but it was a cross between anger and desire – and he mumbled something against the raven-headed female's skin. Something along the lines of 'Stay here' or 'safe here' and Sakura noted that he was awfully close to Hinata.

Hinata made a motion to protest – obvious in her attempt to flail her hands and the evident tensing of her eyes – but Sasuke hurriedly slammed her hand against the door to stop her movements. His gaze was hard even as the female whimpered.

Sakura immediately reacted, "Hey!"

And the male visibly softened his hold – whether from her outburst or Hinata's frightened expression; she couldn't be sure – and rubbed soothing circles against the woman's pale fingers. If Sakura looked hard enough, she could see that the Hyuuga's hands were calloused, a brief description of the requirements of the life she had chosen to live in.

Then, Sasuke kissed her – once again, like it was just him and Hinata – before he turned, motioning to Sakura to get out of the car; a nonchalant shrug of his head.

Sakura opened the door and walked out on shaky feet and Sasuke followed from the passenger's.

"Stay here Hinata" he said, and to reinforce his words, he erupted into fluid hand motions. Briefly, Sakura realized that they were hand seals. He was doing a jutsu – ninjutsu or genjutsu, she wasn't sure – and it seemed so strange to watch, even from him as Sakura could honestly remember the last time she had watched a show on ninjas when she had been five. They had been in full black attire, covering from their heads to their toes with only their eyes visible. They used ninja stars and constantly yelled out faux pas exclamations and overly done hand flails to pull out an embarrassingly named attack, like "tiger dance, eagle's wing", which had made no sense, but had kept her interest because of the special effects.

To see him gracefully maneuver through some sort of seal, well, it created a new sort of respect for ninjas – hell, even more respect for the ANBU's, who consisted of quite a majority of ninjas.

The male breathed, looking satisfied at the lax expression of the Hyuuga inside and made to grab Sakura's arm.

She was caught off guard when he pulled her close.

"Wha- what are you doing?" was the only coherent statement she could get out, turning around to see if Hinata had reacted from inside the car, but that was a stupid thing to do because from their position in the front, Hinata wasn't quite visible. Also, there was also the fact that the windows were slightly tinted, so a proper expression could not be noted.

"Itachi's been bothering me to get a wife for a while" was his almost bored reply, but there was an edge of anger in it; almost as if pure rivalry could have been governing his actions. "And I'm not quite ready to bring Hinata inside." He turned back briefly, as if to assure himself, "There's no telling if the intel on her…_status_" he stretched the word with a hiss, "has reached him yet, and I don't want her to be reported"

Sakura frowned and she tried to pay no notice to the warmth of his skin or that masculine scent that just couldn't be described, or the way that his black hair seemed to frame his face beautifully. "Just introduce me as your teammate. We don't need to do this"

He seemed to contemplate it for a fraction of a second. Then he easily let her go and smirked as they reached the intercom for the mansion – the one that would most likely get them access to the mansion.

"Suit yourself" and he looked back to check on Hinata, as if trying to gauge the woman's reaction from that distance, then turned back to his task at hand.

He buzzed in.

There was a moment for Sakura to think, and she just stood slightly behind him; her basic functions continued: breathing, blinking, one foot in front of the other.

"Who is it?" it was a feminine voice on the other end of the device; a lovely lilt to it, but undermined by a tone that could have otherwise been taunting.

"It's me" Sasuke replied and there was another buzz before the gate – or fence, it didn't really matter – opened.

And Sakura continued to just stand there for a second, but Sasuke would have none of that.

"C'mon" he stated, neither neutral, nor demanding.

Then the analyst thought: _Did he just try to make Hinata jealous?_

Her face scrunched up.

_What a fucking child._

She stormed in after him, and was sobered enough to tell that small part of her mind, the one that pined after him – yes, she could admit that, though reluctantly – that he really wasn't as great as her fantasy had imagined. But, her hand clenched just the slightest bit, and she wanted to turn back and break that stupid seal on the car.

(o)(O) 1:02pm (O)(o)

Hinata sat for a while, well she tried to, but ended up rubbing the part of her wrist that Sasuke had held a little too tightly – and see, that was the thing.

He always held onto things too tightly – and now, she was sure she wasn't referring to herself as a thing – and that was something that frightened her. He held on like he wouldn't – or couldn't - let go, as if everything he had gained would slip through his fingers.

It wasn't wrong – she supposed – because she was well informed and aware of his history with her and Hanabi…

She sometimes felt like it was smoldering, as if he would consume her if she didn't fight back, but then, that was a stupid train of thought; she chastised herself.

When she lingered too long on him, her thoughts would slip to Naruto and she would remember how lovely his eyes were – a deep blue that reminded her of rolling waves – and then she'd remember that terrible feeling in her gut, a part between longing and a deep, endless sea of remorse and regret.

He had always been so bright, so vibrant – and maybe it was because of his too blonde hair or his too bright eyes or his too tanned skinned that made him seem like an angel – and being in his presence had made her want to be a better person. He had made her feel like she could achieve anything and…

She looked out the window – tinted from the outside of course – hoping to stop the train of depressing thoughts.

It wasn't quite a pleasant distraction; the sun was out. It was a lovely day and she just felt tired – in the physical sense – because she hadn't slept enough.

And it came back as a sting; the previous day's events.

Orochimaru had been in a good mood; he had humored her, asking her to sleep off whatever had been bothering her, most specifically, her nerves. Then, when she had gone to discuss with him whatever his plans were, he had just as easily passed off the idea of Sasuke's older brother, _"Isn't he just perfect Hinata? I could last forever with such a strong container" _and he had let out an insidious laugh, startling her to her core; her actual response was a soft smile, and she had asked with as much determination that could be mustered – though her insides were crawling with spiders:

"_What about Anko's body?"_

Orochimaru had blinked as if he had forgotten the body he had been occupying and smiled, that feminine smile with lovely violet hair that cascaded to frame his – her – face beautifully. He had pinched his left breast in thought, tongue slithering out as he let out a startling laugh again; a good mood he had been in, _"Decent fighter she was. Low chakra though. Made up for it with battle tactics, but you see my love…" _and he had suddenly been massaging her shoulders, _"There's better options out there"_

Hinata let out a soft breath, trying to remind herself that it wasn't Orochimaru and that she was safe for now – though it was not a true fact and she knew it, choosing not to acknowledge it just yet.

(o)(O) 1:10pm (O)(o)

"More tea?" Temari was a lovely woman, Sakura deducted upon Sasuke's quick introduction of the blonde, consisting of him waving his hand at her and curtly saying, 'Itachi's wife, Temari.' Sakura had bowed, because the woman had demanded respect in the way she held herself up and she introduced herself as the analyst, Sakura.

"Yes please" Sakura replied in the affirmative, because the woman's smile was so large and genuine that it made anything she had to offer seem precious – and utterly wrong to deny.

"Of course" Sasuke replied to the question posed, and he was watching Temari carefully, but not in the way that suggested he expected her to suddenly attack them, but with a sort of familial affection that was years too old.

"I'll go get it" the blonde stood slowly, and Sasuke was immediately at her side.

Curtly, he said, "Sit down, you're pregnant. I'll get the tea"

At his words, Sakura couldn't stop herself from staring avidly at the large mound that was Temari's stomach – it was very visible in the maternity clothes the woman was wearing and the way her skin just glowed – before she looked back towards her face, which was frowning; ever the companionable hostess.

"Are you sure Sasuke? I'm pregnant, not dying" and her mouth curved into a smirk so similar to his, that Sakura could immediately see why the woman was a part of the family.

The male just gently ushered her back onto the couch – it was a red color that reminded Sakura of Gaara's hair, or maybe it was the evident fact that Temari was Gaara's sister because of the portrait of her, Gaara and another man smiling with the background of sand to draw them out.

"And I have arms, don't I?" was the male's wry reply.

Temari laughed, and it wasn't soft and high like tinkling bells, but it wasn't a baritone and derisive; it was just lovely.

When Sasuke disappeared around the corner into one of the many kitchens the mansion had – it was three in total and made Sakura wonder what they would do with so many – Sakura returned to sipping what was left of her tea.

The trip had been fast and scary and dark, but in this house, right in this moment, basking in the company of this very pregnant woman, it felt safe – strangely.

"My husband makes me relax more than this home" said female remarked offhandedly and Sakura almost jumped as Temari continued, "I always told him it was too big, but he insisted that we get it, you know, in case the family comes to visit." The blonde smiled, "I noticed that your shoulders loosened a bit as you sat down. You're probably pissed off with Sasuke; he can be a pain in the ass."

Sakura blinked before stating a little too quickly, "No, he's – ah, it's nothing like that."

"Nonsense, he's a bastard" and she snorted and took a sip of her own tea – she had sweetened it with honey; a lot of honey – and continued with a reminiscent smile that made her look downright gorgeous, "Itachi was like that too. Still is, but knows how to make it sound more polite instead of curt" then she waved her hand in the air as if to dispel the nostalgic atmosphere, "Enough about me. I can tell by your face that you have something important to tell me, you and Sasuke"

Sakura nodded, half surprised, "Yes"

The older female caught the look and grinned – it was doing wonders for her youthful appearance, "I was an analyst too. You need sharp eyes. Didn't stay in it for long though. Gaara, my brother, which I'm sure you can tell" she gestured to the photograph Sakura had looked at fleetingly, "he… well, he got injured a lot in battles. You can tell why. Anyway, I got tired of waiting for him to come back injured so I could bandage his wounds, so I took some academy training – the best ones in Konoha of course – and before you know it, I was fighting at his side and then I met Itachi through that." She had a nostalgic air around her again.

Sakura smiled politely in response, "That's great"

"Not at first; he was an ass, I said." The blonde laughed, and Sasuke chose that minute to enter.

"Tea with lots of honey for the lady" he stated, and that sort of affectionate smile was on his face again when he placed it in front of Temari.

She said her thanks and Sasuke, just as carefully placed tea in front of Sakura; that warm look was still lingering on his face from moments before.

It could have made Sakura squeal; it was just rare to see.

Then he sat, and as they all took their first sips, Sasuke stated, "Itachi's in danger" and he didn't ease the phrase in. It was analytical and to the point.

The blonde seemed to ponder on that phrase as if it was a question for a second, "And who told you that?" she stared at Sasuke through those crystal blue eyes which could at once seem soft or harden at statements she didn't quite like to hear. At the moment, Sakura noted, Temari's face was a clean slate.

"ANBU classified" he stated, and Sakura could have added something, but she just took another sip of her tea; it was starting to cool down anyway.

"That's bullshit; I'm a part of the ANBU, even though I'm technically retired, but if my husband's in trouble, I would know"

Sasuke returned the cool look.

The pregnant woman rubbed her stomach, as if to draw strength from her baby – but still, her look betrayed nothing, "Well, in the bleak way you put it, I would think that the intel you received is not quite legal. In fact, it's rather quick, you know, the way you received it, instead of Itachi and – oh honey, don't glare, it's not becoming" Temari easily chastised Sasuke, Sakura noted, then returned to her tea, "Maybe, perhaps, the intel is a she and is on the run. Hinata?"

Sasuke growled and dropped the tea non-too-gently, hissing, "She's mine and they're not going to touch her"

Sakura felt a pang in her stomach – whether she was embarrassed by his behavior or jealous, she didn't want to linger on it – and wondered whether she should interrupt on his behalf, but the older woman noticed this and waved her hand delicately, "Calm down Sasuke, I understand" and she lost that soft look. "So, you want us to leave for a while, get Itachi under protection?"

Sasuke looked unable to talk, so Sakura asked, "Might I just ask, where is your husband at the moment?"

Temari hummed in thought, "On the way home most likely" and blue orbs seemed to flash momentarily in worry before returning to that calm look she had donned, "I don't worry too much. He's amazingly skilled and it's not like this is the first time someone's been after him…and who is this person exactly anyway?"

Sakura answered again, confidently, "Orochimaru"

And Sasuke looked somewhere between mildly angry and interested.

Temari looked disbelieving once again, "The analyst? He disappeared a long time ago and was presumed dead. The case was closed, but…ah, I see" She looked towards Sakura with a meaningful look, one that Sakura felt was a warning to not snoop through files – The Attraction Effect lingered in her mind – but it was gone when she looked towards Sasuke. "I'll call him"

They exchanged curt nods, Temari's slightly shakier than any others and she left the room in a grace that dignified her pregnancy.

Sasuke stood also at the blonde's exit and the analyst started, "Um. Where are you going?"

"To check on Hinata" he grounded out; there was a suspicious lilt in his tone, "This looks almost too easy." He started to walk out as well, "Stay here, Sakura", then he added, "Temari can hold her own in battle, though she's pregnant"

But it sounded a lot more to her like, 'There's trouble ahead' or something like, 'We've got company.'

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><p>Sorry for any errors. I'm honestly overwhelmed with homework, but more so with joy for those who reviewed on the last chapter and even throughout the story so far. Thank you, your reviews honestly make me inspired to continue.<p>

All your thoughts are welcomed and reviews encourage faster updates (and I say that every chapter, I'm sure).


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Can be seen as an important part of the story or not. Occasionally, these excerpts (interludes) will show up in the chapters. They can either serve as a break from the main plotline or be seen as a part of it.

Note: Hinata is certainly a bit OC, but it's only because she is older here and has made mistakes. When we look into her past (later chapters), she stutters and is more innocent.

Sai is 26 (naturally, older than the rest of his teammates).

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

**The Turkish March**

Excerpt from Sai's Personal Log #205

_Naruto_

_No more than a minor annoyance. Not particularly entertaining, but when the situation calls for it, is enlightening in his own sense. His characteristically happy demeanor is distracting and easily picks him apart from the crowd of nervous recruits._

_In regards to that, they lined the field with heads bowed; hoping not to be chosen as a demonstration for others on what is considered strong or a plebian effort._

_Or maybe it's the blonde hair; it's a loud statement and in stark contrast to the green scenery of the training grounds._

_Note: Remind Might Gai to change location for training. It's much too simple and ideal, and is no way in comparison to actual fields the ANBU elite combat in._

_He was wearing orange, my least favorite color, and it was maybe why I chose him as the demonstration. The new recruits seemed almost pleased to have not been chosen – I'm reminded that a lesson on bravery or at least a pamphlet is in order on what they signed up for; this is just pathetic. _

_He attacked me like an animal, no restraint and seemed to want to prove himself; I hate that type. _

_Unsurprisingly, he was no match against a basic turnover. Surprisingly though was, despite the humiliation, he still was able to glare and make a scathing comment. _

_In return, he received two hundred laps around the track. _

_Note: The last time I will ever train new recruits. Make knowledge known to Gai._

(o)(O) 1:15pm (O)(o)

Hinata heard it before she saw it.

There was a sharp ringing outside; it sounded too shrill to be a whistle and was just in the right frequency that it suggested that it was meant for human ears. It was a familiar sound; a call to arms.

And in that knowledge, she tensed, coiled to strike, to run, to escape, to hide; perhaps to maybe make that attempt to disappear again.

"They're coming" was the first thing she whispered in the suffocating air of the car; and she realized how crushed she was in this position, how utterly vulnerable, and she just wanted to get out.

There were a few seconds where she just sat there in a daze, taking in too quick breaths and feeling her palms grow sweaty and skin turn cool to the touch. She tried to close her eyes and open them again – perhaps everything that was happening would stop – but at the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the unforgettable attire – as it seemed - of one of Orochimaru's own.

The ninja – as many of his hidden agents tended to be – was clad in a dark shade of purple – Orochimaru's favorite color – and at one point he was in front of the car, close enough that she could see him through the windows – and she was practically begging in her head _please don't come, please don't see me _- and then the ninja was ahead. She could see him skimming the exterior of the large, imposing gates, a hand touching it, deeming it to be free of any basic genjutsus, and then he neatly flipped over the fence.

Then she remembered, _there's Itachi and his family in there, and Sakura and Sasuke. I caused this… I could have just told the ANBU and ended this and…._ But, her thoughts trailed off and her hands were shaking again; then, with an ease that could have only been practiced, she willed them to stop, if only for the moment.

She began a successive series of choppy hand signs, and they were as they were: choppy from inexperience and lack of use. She pressed her palms against the car door.

The jutsu failed in removing Sasuke's seal.

Hinata tried again.

Then, she remembered – a long time ago, as it seemed - when her father had pulled her out of the ninja academy in lieu of replacing Hanabi's empty space. She remembered the extravagant car that had come to pick her up – it had been sleek and an innovative lovely color- and she remembered looking out through the back of the car as the building shrunk from her eyesight. She remembered her father sitting to her right – it was his preferred side – and he had been drumming his hand against the seat in agitation, _"You're needed elsewhere"_ he had said easily, betraying his tense posture.

She remembered looking back once again, and this time, there were only the streets and trees and people.

No more ninjas, no more quick thinking, and successive hits and weapons.

She had been relieved.

Hinata frowned and tried the hand signs again, but it seemed to have no effect on the seal. So, she tried again, and again, and again…

(o)(O) Interlude (O)(o)

Excerpt from File: The Sun Rise –Location: Documents –Name: #349

_Tsunade: _

_Is still garnished head of Konoha. _

_Nothing to report._

(o)(O) 1:16pm (O)(o)

Sakura was shocked to find someone gracefully breaking through the large window of the mansion.

Shards flew in all directions, littering the floor in pieces of multi-colored points, reflecting off the view from the outside in such a way that she was blinded for a second.

"Don't hesitate" and Temari was suddenly beside her, throwing knives with such a deadly accuracy that it made Sakura stumble back clumsily in surprise. The older woman's hand was successively drawing out the weapons from convenient places – under her house slippers, from the soft frizz of her hair, or a spot on her hip - throwing one at a time in a pace of practiced ease – and it looked like it too, if not for the sharp angles of her jaw and gaze – and the other hand was pressed protectively over her stomach.

"I-" Sakura started, feeling like she should do something; the other ninja was doing a good job of dodging, but was making no further advance towards them at the moment. He was large, slim and built, covered completely in dark colors – reminding her of the ninja shows she had seen as a child – but this time, everything was real, and she was no longer at the institute where a ninja had come at one time to demonstrate the basics of self-defense. The man had been kind and Sakura had learned how to do a good uppercut from him, but this ninja looked in no way kind, and was starting to doge too fast for her to see his movements, and his eyes – the only things visible - were cold.

Sakura shivered, almost unknowingly, and didn't know whether to run or call for Sasuke.

"Hide!" Temari yelled suddenly, not even taking the moment to glance into the analyst's direction.

And Sakura sprinted.

(o)(O) Interlude (O)(o)

Excerpt from Sai's Personal Log #214

_Naruto_

_He apparently became/or is friends with the Uchiha brat (the younger one, if I recall, but they all look the same to me)._

_An unlikely duo, but they seem to work well in the recruiting stage and outshine their teammates. _

_Tsunade requests they move onto the ANBU jonin test. _

_I'm forced to see to their safety and watch their ANBU evaluation._

_Note: It's recommended that all recruits should pass the genin stage – all achieved in the academy – then continue to chunin, the preliminaries of ANBU – the chunin stage – and then take the jonin entry level test. I can imagine that Tsunade is enamored with their antics; a stupid observation. They'll be killed before they take the actual test._

(o)(O) 1:17pm (O)(o)

Left, right, a turn to the right again, and Sakura was suddenly far from the resounding screech of metal against metal or against wood, and her ears were free of the sound of ringing.

_I'm so stupid. Sasuke said to stay there, not run… and oh god, she's pregnant._

Only when she reached an empty room, furnished enough that she could hide, did she release a shaky breath that stumbled into a chocked sob.

(o)(O) Interlude (O)(o)

Excerpt from File: The Sun Rise –Location: Documents –Name: #350

_A minor disturbance. _

_Tsunade favors the students: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha._

_Will report if any further information._

(o)(O) 1:20pm (O)(o)

Hinata was on her fourth release seal, and she was trying so hard – so fucking hard – to break it, but it was resilient; it took her attempts at breaking free like a fly, flicking it back towards her easily.

This time, her palms were already clammy and it was hard to do the right hand signs, but she put on that concentrated front and attempted to will through another set of motions that would perhaps break the barrier – and that was a good thought to hold on to – then, maybe she could run out and tell them that it was an attack, an invasion, and it wasn't her fault. But, well, it was, but she didn't lead them here and if they would believe her, she'd turn herself in and stop this; all of this. This stupid mess, this incomprehensible problem that ripped her heart out and stomped on it mercilessly.

It was funny. At any moment, one of Orochimaru's men could find her, kill her, or one of the ANBU could find her and kill her – no, perhaps put her into custody outright then ruminate on her fate.

The brunt of this hit her. It was like when she had been twelve and had accidentally broken one of Hanabi's porcelain dolls and Hanabi's slap had been quick and brutal, but the tears in her younger sister's eyes were large enough that she had held her pink cheeks and cried it off as well and they had both sat in the middle of the room crying around porcelain shards.

She exhausted herself after one more try.

Then she punched the door, enough that there was an immediate dent, but the barrier outside absorbed the shock and went back into place, and Hinata turned away, sliding to the bottom of the seat.

"Naruto…" she took in a shaky breath, "I can't be strong right now"

(o)(O) Interlude (O)(o)

Excerpt from Sai's Personal Log #225

_Uzumaki was crying. It's a weakness on the battlefield. But, there was no battle and it was after one of our basic missions. _

_Note: Startlingly, it's not annoying to be a teammate of his, with the exception of the Uchiha – a cause for further debate._

_It was raining, and he was stupid enough to assume that rain can hide tears. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't a storm and I'm not deaf to the sound of them. _

_I attempted to walk by him; It's annoying to witness someone in emotional ruin. It's much too messy. _

_He must have spotted me because, seconds later, he had a pitiful look on his face and was saying it was all his fault. To hold up appearances, it was only proper that I ask him how he came to that conclusion. _

_He said, 'Hinata' and I almost assumed that she was apparently his love interest – enough for him to break down crying – but he relented and said it was the Uchiha's love interest; I hate being confused. He remarked that he had said something that made her go and then he continued on incoherently._

_Something along the lines of, "You can do it" or "believe it", those annoying catch phrases of his, and I suppose she took them to heart and disappeared. _

_Stupid, I could add, if he thinks it's the greatest idea to respond in tears._

_Didn't he inspire that woman?_

_I suppose we were sitting in the rain for a few minutes at most before I asked why he wasn't with the Uchiha. He surmised that the boy had gone off somewhere; that was a useless observation because he easily could have been found using the tracker attached to every ANBU member._

_Then, Uzumaki said that __**she**__ had gone off the grid, and by 'she', I supposed he meant this, 'Hinata.' I must have displayed some sort of curious expression because he was mumbling that she had left because he had told her to and in translation, I'm sure he meant:_

_She had left to prove herself worthy of his affections by embarking on a mission without ANBU orders and would not return until it was accomplished. She had probably cut off all connections to civilization. _

_By the time he was done crying, we were both soaked through from the rain._

_Uzumaki promised me a free meal, most likely ramen. He didn't add to the end of his phrase, 'Believe it' like I was accustomed to._

_Note: Research more on Hinata. _

(o)(O) 1:21pm (O)(o)

Sakura attempted another steady breath, but she could already hear the crash in the distance, the opening of doors and more breaking, metal, and tearing.

Fumbling, she reached into her pocket, glad to find that she had at least kept the standard ANBU communicator on her – no more than a modernized cell phone – and punched in numbers, having to restart several times because her fingers were separated from her mind.

The line beeped, _"Hello?" _

It was groggy and tired sounding and the most beautiful sound Sakura had ever heard.

"…N-naruto…h_elp_" and her words shook a bit.

There was an automatic hard reply, practiced – and she used that word a lot today. "I'm on my way" then a pause, more hesitant, "Can you tell me where you are?" and it would have been funny if she hadn't heard another slam in the distance that caused her throat to tighten up expectantly.

"I don't… it's Itachi's house and his wife is here, and I don't know where exactly-"

Naruto's tone on the other end – a literal life line – was almost soothing in how calm and structured it was, "I can find you on your tracker." She remembered receiving a new one weeks after her first meeting with Hinata. It was a pin in her hair – ironic – and she touched it briefly, as if to confirm Naruto's words.

"Please hurry…"

And he was utterly perfect, and knew just what to say, "Give me two minutes and three seconds," a pause again, "Talk to me Sakura"

And she babbled on incoherent sentences – some things about the ninja movies she had watched as a child, entering the institute, and wishing she could apologize to Lady Tsunade - even though, on the other end, she only heard brief affirmative grunts and the sound of running.

It drowned out the slamming doors and metal.

(o)(O) 1:22pm (O)(o)

Then, when Hinata had finally settled, just a bit to the suffocating air, letting it pull her down, the car door ripped open and she fell into arms.

Almost immediately, her response was to turn around, a kunai in hand.

Looking up, her shivers stopped, and it felt like someone had poured their light into her.

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><p>Exams. 'nuff said. Reviews encourage faster updates. Thank you to those who have taken the time to review every single chapter; I'm honestly surprised, but more honored.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

In regards to _Insecurity _(the other story I have), I'll be sure to update it next as requested. I haven't forgotten.

A reminder that this story is rated M.

I completely lost the outline I had for this story. So, in the expanse of time to find it, I'll just be filling the space with brief interludes. I know I said earlier that things wouldn't be in Sasuke's POV very often, if at all, but then I thought: Eh, let's just throw him in there.

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**It's a Waltz**

_Sasuke discovered something when he was seven. _

_It had started when he caught Itachi kissing a girl. His brother was thirteen; much older. _

_The Uchiha grounds were dark – it was late in the night – and he was sitting in his room, flipping a kunai delicately between his fingers. Earlier that day, he had seen some chunins showing off tricks they'd learned in their spare time He had watched the grace in which they'd manipulated their weapons, offhandedly talking about their days – one punched the other in the shoulder in mid conversation and laughed. He remembered the feeling of bitter envy – a name his father had put to it – at the smooth way the two had seemed to complement each other completely in their… stupidity._

_Despite that – back to the main topic – he chose to learn that trick, maybe to show it off to Itachi later._

_A part of him didn't want to admit that he would have liked to be patted on the head by him and maybe have his nose pinched. It was dumb to want that, but he sometimes felt that when his older brother did that, Itachi would only be paying attention to him. Just him._

_He promptly stood up, fastening the kunai into his side pocket – his mother had lovingly added it there for convenience, but had admonished that he wouldn't need it for a while – and he began the trip to his brother's room. It wasn't very far, really, just a bit away from the hall._

_It was already late at night and he could guess that his brother was either doing late night studying or sleeping. _

_With grace that only came from months of practice, the raven-head attempted to slide open the shoji door. The Uchiha household was quite traditional in that sense, choosing to go against the use of doors and sticking to the paper thin screens that provided more decoration than actual safety or privacy._

"_Ita-" he started in peeking in, but was halted by the way the moonlight seemed to strike off his older brother's features and a…girl. _

_The older Uchiha was leaning against his chair, propped back with papers strewn across his desk and floor. The girl was pale – maybe it was a result of the bright light from the moon – and her hair was a pretty chocolate color with the largest blue eyes he'd ever seen. She was pretty, draped over Itachi like a decoration, and had an aristocratic lilt to her features. _

_Sasuke noticed that her eyes again were very large, if not, a little bit dazed when she seemed to turn slowly in his direction, as if she was not expecting him._

_The younger Uchiha gasped and took a step back to close the door, apologizes already at the tip of his tongue with cheeks flushing and hands shaking against the screen._

_Then, a resounding laugh filled the room, and Sasuke realized that it wasn't coming from him or the pretty girl, but from his brother. _

_Was Itachi laughing at him?_

_That hurt._

_Instead though, Itachi propped the girl more easily against his frame and she was completely agreeable – like a doll – and then he beckoned him forward with a wide smile. It was the sort of smile that resembled a cat, sort of secretive and impressed at the same time, and the way that the moon added to it made it almost terrifying._

_Almost._

_Itachi was his brother, and the girl had seemed to turn away from him as if she had lost interest in his existence, only to sigh breathlessly and lean against the older Uchiha again. She giggled and it didn't seem to quite fill the room, though it was high and breathless, like she had ran a mile and forgotten to breathe all the way._

_Step after step – he wouldn't back down because his brother was scaring him a bit and Uchiha's were trained to never back down- and reached the desk, just a little out of reach._

_Slowly, as if afraid the girl would suddenly return to herself and snap at him to go away, the raven-head leaned forward and took a look at her. _

_Her too large blue eyes were closed – good, because they had looked strange – and she was breathing steadily against Itachi, but the older brother looked more along the lines of a lazy cat. _

_He was stroking her long hair thoughtfully with that smile still on his face – the one that almost made him look scary - and was looking at him expectedly, as if waiting for him to speak first._

_So he did, though hesitantly: "Is she dead?"_

_The whisper was loud in the room, though he had attempted to tone it down. A part of him wondered if his brother was doing something bad – his mother had said that some of the baddest people in the world killed – but Itachi was shaking his head, still smiling, and a finger was on his lips. It was his signature way of saying that if he stayed quiet, a secret would be told._

_Sasuke very much wanted to know the secret._

_He leaned forward expectantly, looking at the pretty girl for a second, but Itachi was pulling his face to look back at him._

"_She's beautiful, isn't she?"was the first thing Itachi said, adjusting her just so that Sasuke could take a better look at her. _

_Now that the moonlight and the closer distance was his guide, Sasuke noted that she was wearing ninja attire, all blacks and grays, but still a little grimy from a day of training. Her brown hair had a shiny sheen to it, well taken care of – it reminded him of his mother's hair that was also just as pretty, except it was black. _

"_Yeah" he found the strength to say because Itachi was staring at him expectantly again._

"_She's strong" Itachi continued, voice smooth and collected, like he was discussing their plans for the next day – and if Sasuke remembered, it involved his brother teaching him how to do the fireball jutsu – and once again, Itachi propped the girl almost tenderly to a comfortable position. "The top ranked kunoichi among the other genin in the academy" there was an admirable tone to the way Itachi was saying it, and it made Sasuke listen in rapt attention. _

_Whatever his brother said was always important._

"_Pity though, she's annoying"_

_And suddenly, Sasuke realized he didn't like the girl very much either. He felt a little angry at himself that he had compared her to his mother; mother was much prettier than her and had shinier hair and was definitely not annoying._

_Itachi wasn't smiling anymore and he looked down at the girl with a slight downward tilt of his lips._

_Sasuke guessed that his older brother was sad because she was annoying._

"_Hey Sasuke"_

_He stopped his ponderings to listen, looking up at the older Uchiha in interest. "Yeah?"_

_Itachi leaned forward, a grin on his face this time – Sasuke thought that Itachi looked much nicer when he was always smiling – and he had the beginnings of mirth in his eyes. They were a tad bit darker than usual, but Sasuke didn't mind._

"_yeah?" he repeated again, when Itachi just continued to look at him, but this time he looked thoughtful._

_His older brother looked interested in what he was going to say next, though that was a strange thought: "You wanna learn?"_

(o)(O) 1:22pm (O)(o)

Hinata didn't know whether to cry or laugh,

"N-Naruto"

But, the blonde looked a little startled to see her in his arms, and for a second, they just looked at each other.

Then there was a distant scream, and Naruto's gaze snapped away from her, "Shit". His hair, an almost white sheen in the sunlight moved with him, and he was suddenly looking at her frantically. He pulled her out with little to no grace, and she stumbled a bit from the quick jerk and the sudden meeting of grass against her shoes.

There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but she was a little dizzy from the movement and she couldn't breathe properly just yet.

"Hinata" he began, and there wasn't that hurt look or angry look she expected to flash across his eyes – they were such a lovely blue – and instead they were sharp against her features; calculating.

"Naru-"

"I need your help" he pulled her forward, and they were suddenly sprinting towards the mansion and only stopped in front of it. Distinctly, Hinata realized that she could hear an almost static sound and the low voice of murmuring, and when she looked for the source, Naruto was starting to whisper into a cell phone. He turned for a second.

"Damnit, Sakura, stay on the line – I'll be there, just…shit" he threw it to the ground and he was looking back at her.

Hinata had seen that anguished look before, and he was staring at her so earnestly. Then, he gripped her shoulders so tightly that she could feel each individual nail dig into her skin through the shirt, and he was attempting to take deep breaths, but Hinata remembered that he was quick to show his emotions and act on them, no matter how much training he had received.

"Hinata, you can still use that defect right?"

The word 'defect' stung, but she knew to hold back that hurt look and don on that mask; it was the one that helped her when she was with Orochimaru, but it was also the one she used when she knew there wouldn't be time to reminisce and that nothing would or could ever be the same again.

He was so close, but a gulf was holding them apart, but, she could smell the soft scent of cologne and sleep and the woods.

"I-yes" she managed to stutter out and she knew her eyes were wide, staring at him, trying to remember this moment.

"Good, that's good" and his hands shook and they reverberated through her, "because I need you to track Sakura. The house-" he took a deep breath, "It's too big, and I can't get her from here and her cell phone isn't working, and…damnit!" he was yelling, and holding her too tightly now.

She could feel his nails piercing her skin, but more than anger, she could tell that he was sad and afraid. She remembered that that was what she had loved about him – still loved – and it always made him seem so beautiful, but she let her mind slip back into reality because he was looking at her expectedly, but her shoulders really hurt.

"Naruto, I can't" she began, and tensed in his hold, "She- she doesn't have a chakra signature and my eyes can't work unless she has chakra" she choked back a breath, "I won't be able to find her"

His eyes widened, his grip no longer tightening, but not softening either, and he was looking down, "God, no" he was mumbling, "I can't lose my team like this, not another one". He snapped his gaze back to her, and he let go. "We're going to split up and find her and kill whoever's hurting her" he barked and he didn't look to Hinata for confirmation, "I'm going left" and he disappeared.

Hinata stood for a second. She felt as if her brain wasn't listening to her mind and was years behind what she wanted it to think. _Find Sakura, now. _She willed it to move, but it was still whispering, _It's Naruto, it's Naruto. _

_Naruto…_

Then she heard a clash of kunai in the distance, and she knew it wasn't from the inside; it was a battle in the garden.

She heard feminine laughter and she knew – oh, she knew – that Anko – no, it's Orochimaru – was there and he was laughing, and it didn't fit his voice because he sounded like death and murder and _evil_.

And just like that, she ran into the mansion.

_Take the right, _she reminded herself, but she stumbled a few times, and though she told her brain to run, she was somewhere between stumbling and crying.

_Since when did you become so weak? _A part of her she couldn't remember was chiding her, and she could imagine that if it were a person, its hands would be on its hips and it would be shaking its head.

(o)(O) 1:25pm (O)(o)

"Well, now what do we have here" the voice was insidious and seemed to crawl through crevices of Sakura's mind, as if searching for her deepest fears and she tried to fight against it, but she was so cold and she must be because she was shaking so much. She wanted to crawl away but the shaking was stopping her from moving.

"It's a little birdie~" and his laughter was so deranged, and it reminded her of the evil ninja she had seen in her movies when she was still so small; their laughs had usually made her snort because they were all the same. Though, right at this moment, she was sure that it was distinct and that she would never forget it _ever_ in her life.

"Naruto" she whispered, "Naruto. Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke…"

Seemingly bored, she could tell, because the man had began to sigh and walk towards her, pushing aside unused furniture until he was kneeling in front of her.

She couldn't see his face, but it didn't help because his eyes were right there, and they were such a dark brown that she wished she could look away because she wouldn't forget this either.

"Calling for a prince perhaps?" she could tell from the slight movements of the fabric covering his face that he was smiling.

Then, he grabbed her hair.

It fell out of its ponytail, and she could see that some pink strands were falling into her face, and she wished that they were black for a second so it could cover her from the man or make her blend into the darkness.

He pulled her across the room by her hair and was suddenly laughing when she was dragged along. "oh, you're fun. Should I keep you?" and he lifted her so abruptly, she could hear some of the strands of her hair pop out of her scalp.

She screamed to his face.

(o)(O) 1:28pm (O)(o)

Hinata saw the damaged door far before she reached it. There were wood splinters everywhere and there was broken glass and screaming.

She picked up speed and turned sharply into the room.

It was so dark, but she could hear the screaming clearly and there was a ninja there, in that room, and he was telling someone to shut up, just shut up.

"Stop!" she screamed, and she made her mind stop whispering and told it to focus on the right stance –yes, that's it – and she was suddenly yelling, "Byakugan!" as if it would stop the ninja sooner.

"Oh?" the voice was mocking, but it was undeniable that there was surprise, and he said, "Is it the little lady?" and he came into the light, and he was dragging Sakura by the hair, but the analyst's hands were digging, in return, into his palm. Blood was flowing out – he mustn't have noticed – and it was mixing into her pink hair like a terribly done painting palette.

His eyes were brown and… she knew immediately who it was.

"Kabuto" and she remembered two years ago when he had taken a little girl and cut up her face because she had begged for her mother to save her. The noise, the noise, he had always hated it.

"You going to fight me?" he laughed, and he dropped Sakura's head to the floor and thankfully –though she could hear the thump – it was still attached to the body.

Hinata's orbs flickered back to his face. She remembered when he had first been introduced to her formally by Orochimaru; he had been cleaning blood off his hands in the middle of a dark lab room. Hinata remembered being thankful that she couldn't see what he was working on because she would have never been able to sleep again.

_He's a killer, so it's all right._

"Hmm, you going to answer me, little love?" and he laughed again, "I always said, Lord Orochimaru, let her go, she'll betray you like the little bird she is and come running back to the _light~_". He sang on the last note and reached into his pocket for a kunai, "You may have gotten some training from the lord, but you can't defeat me. You'll-"

Then, he dropped.

(o)(O) 1:29pm (O)(o)

Sakura heard the monster's body fall and it fell right in front of her.

She told herself not to look – oh god, don't look – because she'd heard a gunshot and could feel something sticky and warm trail down her hair then slowly down her arms. The smell of copper was in the air and the room was so dark.

Don't' look, don't look…

But she wanted the bastard to know that he hadn't won, that she was alive and he wasn't and she would not be kept like an animal.

So, she looked up and saw the Hyuuga girl – oh yes, Hinata, the one who ruined lives – and realized that the Hyuuga was shaking; there was a cocked pistol in her hand and there was a light whiff of smoke coming out of it. Her mind whirred at that: _Right, not so high and mighty ninja- like now are you? Used a gun didn't you? …Where'd you get that gun…_

Then she saw blonde and blues and tan skin against the light of a shattered window, or maybe it was the door?

There was hoarse screaming again and she wasn't sure if it was hers, Hinata's, Naruto, or maybe all of them mixed together.

Her mind wanted to tell her to say hi to Naruto, but she chastised it and told it right back that she should be happy she was alive first; and it was getting really dark at the corner of her eyes and the room was spinning.

Sakura concluded that she would apologize to him later.

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><p>Reviews always fuel faster updates. So please? That'd just make my day (and I'm sure reviews in general make every author's day) Questions? Please feel free to PM me and I'll get back to you asap. I'm immersed in the new semester and just got rid of some inner demons. Wasn't quite pleased with the chapter (lost the plot, remember? Right now, I'm functioning on pure memory on how this will go and am pretty sure it's accurate as of yet) and please pardon spelling errors. I barely have the time to get on here without trouble punching me in the face, metaphorically of course.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

In regards to _Insecurity _(again), I was going to update it, but I didn't like the chapter and am currently remaking it (I should probably put this on my profile; it'd be easier there), sorry.

I know Sasuke's POV threw people off in the last chapter…oops? Wasn't quite necessary, but it would have eventually occurred in later interludes or near the end. Think of that part as an anomaly or as important; really, it's your choice. It'll come into play later (if this turns out like planned). This is not beta'd or edited well. Sorry for any mistakes.

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**We're in Pieces**

(o)(O) 3:19pm –, 2 days later (O)(o)

Hinata woke up; it was strange that she would think that – hadn't she been awake a long time ago?

The room was dark and warm – almost suffocating in this sense – and it felt like she could reach out and touch that darkness and perhaps wrap it around herself –and once again she was off on a disoriented tangent.

She wondered why she was here, safe and sound, with the outside world shrouded by wooden walls and the sound of a river in the distance. There was also the chirping of birds – a sweet melodious tune that she had never really had the chance to listen to recently – but in that moment, all she wanted to do was close her eyes and snuggle back into that warmth and perhaps sleep for days, months even. It seemed like the bed agreed with her because it was inviting and compressed to fit her, but that made her pause.

Wide awake now, she looked around –as in, really took in the darkness of the room – and realized that these wooden walls weren't familiar with any place she had been in. The water spilling she could hear in the distance; loud and clear indicated that she was far from modern civilization where pipes were used to cover that sound. And, there were the birds. So sweet and lovely; now all she could think was that they were suddenly very loud and their song was unfamiliar; foreign.

_Where…_

Then the door opened and she found herself automatically crouching, covers kicked to the side, reaching for the kunai strapped behind her back that was non-existent. In reaching air she panicked and lurched a little forward; her head feeling light for only a fraction of a second with red spots dancing in her vision before she was able to focus again.

Sasuke stood in front of her; so she gasped and back pedaled, twining her fingers into the covers, "Wha-?" and her breaths came out quick and harried, "You-"

"Hungry?" he asked in a seemingly nonchalant manner, and he walked across the small expanse of space that separated them from each other and found himself a seat in front of her on the bed, dipping into the mattress; leaning forward so close, she could almost taste his breath.

In one of his hands was a tray of various fruits arranged into small edible pieces; it was – she had to admit to a small part of her mind - pretty to look at. The male looked almost pleased, but his lips were curved down and he was looking at her intently, like he had found something important in her eyes or the curve of her nose.

"Why am I here?" she replied immediately, and she backed a bit more to draw more space between them; her heart racing in her chest was almost palpable as it thrummed through her fingers and skin.

There was a pause.

"Because I brought us here" he replied and looked somewhere between amused and thoughtful with his answer, but she was already adding,

"Where are we? What happened to Naruto and Sakura? What about Itachi and his wife and the mansion-"

But, instead, he was already in front of her, plopping a piece of fruit into her mouth.

She made to spit it out, but he was looking at her again like he was trying to remember something, so she kept herself occupied with her chewing; so the silence stretched for a second.

"Good girl" he said as she sat and chewed – for another second, she swore he could see her eyes momentarily widen – and she then spat it out onto the center of the tray. It made a mess of the food, covered in a mixture of small bits of red that she assumed must have been pieces of strawberry; it covered the plate like a stain.

For a second, she expected him to yell or grab her or smash her head against the board of the bed – and these scenarios would have frightened her, but her thrumming heart was doing a fine job of making every limb shake in a way that made her feel cold. Hinata let out another breath and almost reached reflexively for that non-existent kunai behind her back.

Sasuke's eyes were covered by his bangs as he looked at the spittle covering the tray and his shoulders shook – Hinata tensed at that – but he looked up a moment later and there was something akin to amusement on his face; he was smirking.

_Oh…God, oh God, oh God…_

"Now that's not nice is it?" and he placed another fruit, this time into his own mouth and he was suddenly grabbing her so tightly, she was afraid for a second that her veins would explode, but he parted her mouth with his tongue and slipped it in; and it seemed so natural in that way, like she should have enjoyed it, but…

_Don't…_

She made herself to struggle, the free hand he wasn't grabbing hoisted into an arch above his head to hit the base of his neck, but he pushed her onto the bed and her arm uselessly slammed into his back – the only indication that he had felt pain from the motion was a quiet grunt – and she tried to push the fruit away from the back of her throat, but he used his other hand to cover her nose; he must have dropped the tray earlier.

Though, she remembered so well the drug that had went into her system; she remembered that she had closed her eyes and when she had woken up, she had been disoriented and lost.

Her immediate reaction was to swallow and following that, Sasuke pulled back and removed his hand from her nose.

He hummed, "Better?"

Hinata coughed in reply, and shook her head – whether in denial or hunger, she didn't care to know – and she began to yell at him earnestly, "That's enough Sasuke! What about your brother and his wife? Sakura? Your team…" and she trailed off because his expression was darkening.

He shifted so he was directly above her, hands on either side of her head; a cage, "Let's not talk about that. I just need you to listen to me" he stroked her hair and she flinched, and she could have snapped back, but he looked like he needed to say something else just as important.

The Uchiha sighed, "Mother always told me that if you love someone, you take them" his hands clenched and she could feel the mattress compress under the force, but his features were calm but that amused look was gone to be replaced by an almost glazed slate, "and brother even said that too, a long time ago."

She whimpered, and pushed back: _no, not now, not now, not now _"not now, not now…" And she wasn't sure when it became words, but his face contorted into an ugly expression at her response.

"_Listen_" he hissed, and she quieted down because his face was so close to her and he looked so…sad, "Just fucking _listen _ok…I just need you to marry me and everything will be better, ok? I'll take care of everything and we'll go far away, like Itachi and Temari and I'll give you a big house and we can have lots of children if you want a-and it'll be warm."

He laid his head against her chest and she was sure he could hear her heart beating.

"Don't do this" she said, and tried to pull him up by his hair, but he grabbed both her hands and pushed it above her head, and she added earnestly, almost hateful – and she wasn't sure when the poison started to seep into her words, "You're not going to do this. I'm not like Hanabi and you're not going to trick me."

Then he growled and his eyes were flashing red and she turned away from that.

_No, no, no…_

"You're mine" and this time, she knew his eyes were bleeding red and this time it was his turn to look away. Sasuke shut his eyes and let out a breath.

His hands found her cheek and he forced her to look at him, but his eyes were back to an almost black color, "Remember…" he began, and his tone was back to that low smoothness that would have fooled anyone, "Remember how you were like when we were younger?" he smiled, "You were a wreak of insecurity and you stuttered all the time, and you had that hopeless crush on my brother" he barked out a laugh bordering on hysteria, but in the way he did it, it was almost like a cough, "and it was just me and Hanabi, mother and father, you and yourself, but you would have liked to think Itachi, even though it was hopeless" he laughed.

Hinata's cheeks reddened – she was sure it was anger – and she flickered her look to the ceiling.

"You were perfectly malleable back then, so maybe I should have followed brother's advice?"

She thought of the different chakra signatures on the body and traced the patterns with her eyes on the roof.

"Remember when we went to Itachi's two days ago? Before that…" He whispered, like he was divulging a great secret, "You promised you'd marry me."

Her orbs flickered back to him, "Byakugan" and she freed one of her hands – his hold had loosened during his talk – and pushed his head back, enough so that his weight on her reduced as he adjusted, then she kneed his ribcage.

The momentum was enough that she could flip him over so she was on top, and she made to immobilize him, but he was smirking up at her like he had known; she paused.

"It's a beautiful technique" he said and his hand reached up to touch her face, but she jabbed him in the shoulder. She was more surprised when he groaned in pain and the technique efficiently cut off the flow of chakra on his right side. Hinata made to do the same to his left, but he was faster,

"It's a definite bonus" and his left hand was already clutching her shirt.

The next second, she was on the floor and the room was spinning.

He laughed, rolling off the bed and crouching beside her, "Don't worry. You're quite strong, but-" his look grew hard, "I've been training too. I've gotta get stronger if I want to protect you and our kids and-" his smirk was back, "to make sure you don't run away."

"Stop saying that" she finally answered, "I said not now, you need to listen to me too. We can talk about this after, but we need to protect Sakura and-"

"And Naruto" he finished for her, and his features were back to that slate, but she knew he was angry, "since when did you become so righteous? Just a few years ago, it was 'how do I keep myself from harm? How do I protect myself? How do I get Naruto to love me? Naruto, Naruto, Naruto' It's him isn't it?"

She thought she saw a flash of red, but dismissed it for her lack of orientation.

"It's because you want him to notice you, isn't it? That's why you went on this stupid suicide mission and left _me_. It's never been about saving the fucking world has it? You wouldn't care if it exploded tomorrow, as long as it's just you and Naruto left on a little patch of land that managed to survive? Right?"

"Stop that"

"And that's what I'm saying. You and me think alike, right?" he grabbed her shoulders and she shook her head.

She didn't want to hear this.

Not now.

"If a flood were to happen tomorrow, I'd just put you and me on the raft. Hinata."

"Shut up!"

He laughed, "You don't deny it! You haven't changed! You just don't give a shit do you? It's as long as you make it out of there alive, never mind the fact that you chose to attack a dangerous convict, and see Naruto smile and love you and adore you, and it'd be all joy and happiness for the rest of your life-"

"I said shut up!" and she used her fist this time to attack him – a small part of her corrected that she should use her palm to correctly attack a chakra point – but she didn't care. He deserved to hurt. He shouldn't say those things.

_He should stop talking._

He grabbed her wrist, an inch from his face, so she swung with her leg and that seemed to catch him off guard for a bit, but he in turn elbowed her stomach and she gasped and recoiled at the surprising force behind it; more shock than pain.

He grinned, "I love you"

She hissed, ignoring his earlier words, "You're wrong. You're completely wrong. I loved him – I still do, and what I'm doing is for him, just as much as everybody"

"And we can see how much you've done"

His tone bit into her skull and she wanted to just punch him, just one blow with blood and some look of remorse on his face and she'd be fine with that, but her body seemed to betray her because she was quaking and before she knew it, her cheeks were wet. Tears traced a familiar pathway down her cheeks and she couldn't stop him; she didn't want him to see.

The male frowned; something akin to panicked in the way his orbs flickered.

A small part of her laughed, but she wasn't sure why.

He grabbed her head instead and painfully meshed it against his; she could feel spikes of his hair melting into hers and his face was so close; enough that his eyes seemed to suffocate her.

"Don't, just d-don't cry"

Then he stood up and walked to the door. His back was turned when he muttered, "I'll be back later today. "

So, he left her, a tray of tarnished fruits, messy blankets, and a pile of her meshed conscious trying to reform itself in her shaking hands.

(o)(O) 4:19pm (O)(o)

Sakura woke up in a daze – she knew that she must have been under some kind of sedative and must have recently gone through surgery because the room lights looked like different colors and her head hurt.

The room was all white; it must have been because she could have only received surgery in a hospital – of course – and her limbs were achy and sloppy from a lack of use.

She was startled out of watching her hand trying to reach the button on the far left of her bed when the door opened.

A shock of blonde hair and black hair peeked in.

It took her a moment, but she knew immediately what to say, "Naruto, Sai, how long have I been out?"

Sai – ever so efficient – answered, "Give or take, two days." He continued with the efficiency of a methodist, even as Naruto scrapped up a seat to her side and he strolled to her bedside as well, "You're lucky that not all of your hair was pulled out, so the patches of missing hair can be covered by the rest of your hair. We had to cut it since bits of it were uneven and you had some bruises and cuts, but other than that, you'll make a full recovery."

Naruto bowed his head in Sakura's silence and she felt bad because she knew that he would beat himself up over it – probably had been while she was out.

"Where's Hinata?" she asked instead, to draw the attention from herself; it was a good idea too because images of that day were returning to her and she could already feel herself starting to shake, "She shot someone"

Then Naruto's head snapped up and he replied, "No, I shot him, Hinata didn't have a gun"

Sakura blinked, but it must have been slow, because when she opened her eyes again, Sai was gone and it was only Naruto leaning forward enough to place his elbows on the hospital bed and out of the way.

"Where's Sasuke?" she asked and turned to look at him. Her head still hurt.

"Somewhere" and the blonde looked away – a part of her wanted to chastise him, but she couldn't form the words just yet; maybe she would be able to in a few minutes, "You should get more rest."

There was silence for a few moments and she took the time to analyze his face. She noticed that his eyes were really blue and his hair was really blonde and that he now had slashes down the side of his cheek, like whiskers. They were horizontal, three on each side, and were thin enough that they very much made him look like a fox.

Her hand reached out to touch them, but she missed and landed a hand on his head instead, "Hurts?"

He blinked and seemed to understand, eyes dimmer, "Yeah, but only a bit."

They sat once more in that silence and Sakura could suddenly hear the bustling of hospital staff in the distance and smell the antiseptic scent that lingered on her clothes, her skin, and the whole environment in fact. It was nauseating and her skin itched a little and Naruto's face looked so sad, and the white walls of the room made her dizzy – it could have also been the medication.

She didn't want to come back here.

"Hey Naruto" she finally said.

"Hmm" he had dozed a little bit as he watched her.

A pause. "Teach me how to fight when I get better"

He looked into her eyes; she wondered how well blue and green mixed.

"Yeah, maybe"

She didn't like the answer, but for now, she'd sleep because she didn't want him to get any sadder. It certainly didn't suit his face.

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><p>Reviews are loved? A note on my grammar actually. I use the word 'and' a lot, whether to start or continue a sentence. This story is more thought process than actual storytelling, if that makes sense. Questions? PM me. Thank you for those who always take the time to review.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Sorry that this was quite late.

Thank you to the new reviewers (and of course, the people who have reviewed since the beginning).

Rated M. Right now, it's for swearing.

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

**I'll be Stronger**

(o)(O) 1:23pm –, 1 days later (O)(o)

Sakura woke up a second time – or was it her third?

She felt lax and she had a crick in her neck; she turned to the side she figured would alleviate the uncomfortable feeling. When she turned to her left, she met red eyes.

"Hello" the voice was smooth and toneless. His hair was jet black – like they'd poured black paint over it and left it – and his features were set into an almost grim line, "You must be Sakura"

His tone was polite, and she immediately though that it must be Sasuke – not because he was polite, but just because the tone was exactly like Sasuke's – but she noticed that his hair was longer, just enough that it passed a little lower than his shoulders.

He seemed to notice the slow direction of her gaze and swept it back; she thought that he might have been self-conscious about it, but then she looked back to his stony features and she reminded herself that with a look like that, it must not really bother him.

She might have been silent for too long than was polite because he stated again, "Can you speak?" It might have been a rude comment meant to goad her intelligence, but she didn't think much of it –goddamn it, she was just too tired for this at the moment.

"Yes" she finally said, and her voice sounded almost gravely and especially tired because the man shifted and waited for her to speak – he was on the chair Naruto had used earlier when he had been talking to her. For a brief moment, she wondered where Naruto was, then her brain immediately backtracked and made her wonder where Sai was, and where Sasuke was, and Hinata too. Again, Sakura knew she was being rude– her mother wouldn't have liked that – and she attempted a few words: "You must be Sasuke's brother, Itachi." She paused, then continued, "We met your wife."

There –she noticed – his grim look was back, and the only reason she realized that it was more severe than the one he had seconds before was because of the slight lowering of his brows and the sudden notice of the frown lines cornering his mouth, "Yes, _my _Temari" and in the way he'd said that would have made her laugh at how familiar it was, so much so, that it was painful.

"Yes" she said again, and wasn't sure where the conversation was going, but at the same time, she knew: "We apologize for…" she wasn't sure what for yet and for a second, her heart just about stopped because she suddenly remembered that she had heard screaming, back at that mansion, that place, _that place, that place, that place…_

Itachi allowed a simple nod and his tone was a dead pan suddenly, "That's interesting, I would have thought that they'd give you some shock training." He seemed to look around the room, but Sakura was really just trying to get her heart starting again. When his gaze was back to her, he looked disinterested, "It's another problem with the system."

Now she was sure he was goading her.

"As expected though-"

"Look" she cut in, but her voice wasn't quite as strong as she would have liked it to be, "We did our best, and if you want honesty right now, since this place seems to fuckin' lack it, Sasuke told us to do it, and if you want to complain, look for him."

She almost immediately regretted it because, if evidence didn't evade her, he was a ninja and was a part of a very elite section of the ANBU, and she was a fresh analyst out of the institute, unattended and weak in a hospital.

He smirked – and god, it was so painfully similar to Sasuke's.

Then a knife – it was a kunai - was at her throat and she was damn well sure that her heart had started up again.

"I'll try not to blame you right now, but it's a little hard to get an audience with Tsunade and Naruto's really the last one I need to speak to. And Sasuke" his look was solid again, "Of course, is unavailable."

Then he retracted the weapon and sat back down like it had meant absolutely nothing – she could have bit out that he'd essentially just threatened a woman sitting in a hospital bed, but she remained silent and stared; she was sure that her eyes were still wide and dilated.

Itachi's lips curled downward and his attention was lost to her.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Naruto spilled in.

"Oi, bastard, why are you here?"

A pause. "Of course, I just came to see the revered analyst trained by Tsunade herself." The raven-head's words were all sharp corners and polite intonations.

"Yeah, well, I don't know if I'd trust you with your completely deranged-oh, Sakura!" She felt the bed dip and suddenly large blue eyes filled her field of view, "I'm glad you're awake again! I told the nurse that she'd given you way too many drugs, but I'm glad you're ok and – oi, you bastard, you're still here?"

Naruto's tone seemed to shift and she wasn't sure when exactly he was talking to her or when he was talking to Itachi.

"Naruto?" she managed out, voice still a little hoarse, whether from yelling or having a blade dug into her throat for a fraction of a second, she wasn't quite sure.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine in no time" and he turned away so all she could see was blonde hair. There was the sound of rustling and she could see him changing the bag filled with a clear liquid to her side. "The next batch of drugs should kick in soon. I guess you'll need to rest again, not that I have a say in this. Tsunade did her best with the healing."

He made a dismissing gesture before she could ask him questions – no – form questions for him to answer; pressing ones, she was sure.

"Still here of course." There was that drawl again from behind Naruto.

"Yah, I get that, but I think we should take this talk outside…bastard"

"Really, I don't see how my little brother can stand you. Your retorts are _absolutely_ eloquent"

"Well, when I'm angry, I _also_ like to pick on girls in the hospital"

"Really? I never would have guessed"

"Your wife is fine. Didn't you hear that she replaced herself with a clone jutsu when that ninja attacked? There's no point to this"

"I thought you'd want to take this outside? It's quite rude to bring up personal matters in the presence of another patient" A slight creak and Sakura assumed it was the door. "Now, why don't we take that walk and I'll talk about your team's incompetency"

She heard the door shut behind her and wanted to call him back in, but ended up looking to the roof to try to count the tiles that neatly decorated it, despite the whiteness all around her.

She was sure that she fell asleep when she saw Sasuke in the distance, and he was smiling and waving to her.

(o)(O) 6:43pm – the previous day (O)(o)

Hinata was sure this time that Sasuke wasn't the only one in the house. She could hear more than one set of footsteps; this one was slightly heavier and the voice was rougher.

The footsteps stopped at her door. She heard the male hum in front of her –separated by the door of course - and she automatically hopped a step backwards, skidding a bit, once again reaching for that non-existent kunai and instead, had to compensate by crouching a little lower and holding her fists up.

There was a click of what she presumed to be the lock and when the door opened, she flew at him with a flat palm.

"Shit" and the male dodged by a hair breadth and backed up.

She immediately made a dash around him.

She heard a soft swear and those footsteps were following her.

"Hey!"

Hinata only sped up, rounding a corner, kicking open a door to land into a simple looking kitchen. She spotted another door to the side and broke through it with her elbow –chakra powered as well – and made a right. Behind her, she could hear the wall smash and another, "Hey, I said wait! There's no point in running!" but she was already making a left into another twisting corridor and suddenly, she was slowing down.

"Wha-?" she began slowly, eyes growing larger and o_h god, please don't tell me this is it and oh god._

The footsteps behind her slowed and she could hear the person's harsh pants – or maybe it was just her breathing harder.

"I know this place. This place, it's-"

"Otogakure. Home sweet home, I know"

She finally turned to the person who'd been chasing her.

(o)(O) 3:23pm –, 1 days later (O)(o)

Sakura was shaken awake by large arms which easily hoisted her into a wheelchair. Her gaze shifted from disoriented to double vision and she fought hard to not vomit at the sudden change of pace. Her hands felt dry and they shook as she positioned them to lean on the hand rest of the chair. She closed her eyes and opened them again, feeling only slightly less disoriented; the double vision was still there.

"Lady Tsunade requests an audience with you immediately." Sakura couldn't see the person's face that was strolling her out of the room and down sterile corridors, but she didn't think to because craning her neck was the last thing she wanted to do.

There was silence on her end as she was eventually pulled into another room, empty, except for Tsunade sitting on one of the beds shuffling through a stack of papers threatening to spill off her lap, and Naruto pacing in front of her, hands rubbing his face in a strictly annoyed motion.

Tsunade looked up. "Good, you're here" she looked to the person behind her, Sakura assumed, "put her there. Yes, good. That's all. Thanks."

The analyst was stationed in front of the older woman, and the large hands that had been by her side disappeared. She heard the sound of the door shut behind her, an eerie creak.

Tsunade was the first to speak, lips pursed and hands crinkling the papers she was holding, "How come we didn't notice this before? This is stupid and so rookie and-"

"What is?" Sakura croaked; the double vision really wasn't helping.

Naruto was beside her in a second to steady her, then he folded himself neatly at her side, look mirroring the other's.

Tsunade frowned deeply, "You've been tracked"

"I thought that was obvious. You keep trackers on all ANBU"

"No, Sakura, you were being tracked by someone other than us"

"I-what?"

"See, it was obvious. Mission reports shouldn't have been neglected. Information can't be left out!" Tsunade thrust the papers into the analyst's hands, and in seeing the slow way Sakura was trying to make sense of the words, she pulled it away and said, "Your name. They've been tracking it. That's how Itachi's house was found."

"How?"

And Naruto, who had been biting his nails, cut in, "At the airport. Remember? There was that man who was waiting for us with the limo. Our names were on that board he was carrying."

Sakura only stared at him.

"Sakura, our names were on the board. We're ANBU, it'll put us in danger if our names are so freely exploited like that. Not only can they track our family, but also track us. Trackers, Sakura, and not those machines that we keep in our pockets, but through a vast database that can find us anywhere at any time. Something the ANBU can do – exclusively them." He took a deep breath, "Of course, I-I didn't think anything was wrong because it's normal that when people get out of the airport, they should have a ride, and the only way they can be found is if the names of the people are held up…but that shouldn't have been the case for us. They should have already known who we were and should have known how we looked."

Sakura added quietly, "But if we're – I'm – being tracked, then why would they need to put the sign up in the first place? If they already knew my name…"

"Confirmation" Tsunade cut in. "They can match a name to a face in their database, but nothing confirms it better than people walking to a sign with their name on it." The blonde woman continued, almost quietly now, "But they would have known the risks of doing that. We would find out eventually, but not quick enough" and Tsunade was looking at her again, "Ok, we're going to rewind Sakura. Do you remember the way the man had looked who was driving you, Naruto and Sai back to the ANBU headquarters?"

She paused, and Sakura tried to look through her fogged mind for something, but her head really hurt and she could only bite her lip, "I don't. I mean, I remember that he said we had an audience with you-"

"And he shouldn't have known that because we went through our database and it said that Dou, the person who was supposed to pick you up at the airport, hadn't received the message from me, nor did he even know who you three were."

Sakura tried to breathe, but Naruto did it for her, "Shit. Sai usually reminds us about keeping our names"

"And he was quite sloppy this time" Tsunade agreed and her lips were back to being pursed, "Sakura, try thinking before that, in Amegakure when you had that lead on Hinata. What happened there?"

"I- I" and Naruto was looking at her earnestly, and they both looked so tired: "I spoke to Hinata, but she already knew my name and she just wanted to talk." Sakura added quietly, "She gave me a USB. It was code named the Attraction Effect."

There was a crack and Sakura looked up too quickly – for a chilling second, she was distorted – and she noticed how easily the iron part of the bed had just dented under Tsunade's grip; malleable and susceptible to her anger, "And where's that USB now, Sakura?"

"I hid it in one of my sweater pockets. It's back at our base."

Tsunade cursed and made a note on a piece of paper, mumbling to herself, "We'll find that"

Naruto answered, "Hinata was the guinea pig." He continued as Tsunade stood and took her turn to pace, "We thought Hinata was getting intel on names, specifically yours, so more resources were pooled to try to catch her, leaving a lot of gaps. We assumed that since Hinata had been at the mansion, she had backup who were following her to get to Itachi."

"And I thought," Tsunade added, "Why would she possibly want Itachi? And then it made sense. Not her, but Orochimaru? It's always been power for him"

_This is sounding so much more dangerous._

And Tsunade looked at her, "I used to work with Orochimaru, hell, we were once partners in the ANBU. But, away from that now. Evidence had been pointing to Hinata. That she'd figured out your name. That she'd been the one to send that driver. That _she'd_ been the one to launch the attack on Itachi. But, someone's using her as a convenient distraction."

"At first," Naruto cut I bitterly, eyes a darker shade of blue then she remembered, or maybe it was because his face was lowered with eyes barely visible, "We thought it was Sasuke. I mean he's missing right now-"

"Wait, Sasuke's missing?"

The blonde continued and Sakura could have yelled at him, but he really did look tired, "And though he hadn't been with us for a while, there wouldn't have been a point. Why trick the ANBU when he's using it to find her? We scratched him off the list then." A sardonic laugh, so painful, Sakura thought he was crying, "But now, he's missing, and he's definitely on the list now, a different one though. And then it made sense, you know, but I think it's worse this time, because Sai did it. And now, he's missing too."

"What?" the analyst started slowly, and her hands were shaking harder now on the wheelchair rest, "What? How?" but the gears in her head were already moving.

Naruto said exactly what she was thinking, "He had also graduated at the top of Tsunade's institute. Orochimaru disappeared a year after. The year following, Sai advanced to the ANBU combat squad, working side by side with Gai, my trainer. Few years later, I'm on his team. Sasuke joined shortly. Hinata was then put under our protection. A few months after, Sai had unlimited access to all ANBU files. He had advanced high in Tsunade's books, so of course he had that privilege. Year later, and Hinata's missing, her information cleanly wiped off the database. You join then and by that time, Sasuke's lost it. Sai's in the best position. We're not functioning properly and with a new rookie on our team and the ANBU paying so much attention to Hinata because a scroll's missing, he's able to send your name to whoever he's working for; it's Orochimaru. They can then track our every move through you. Remember that phrase, 'we stick together?"'

Sakura didn't want to listen to this, but she watched as Naruto let out another choking laugh and then, he was shrouding his face away from the light through the window she had never paid attention to, "The worst part is, Hinata couldn't talk to us because we would have told Sai. Sai had his laptop with him all the time. We never questioned it. He wrote out our mission reports –changed them to fit the story. The mansion was burnt down. Field analysts could get nothing from it. No Orochimaru, no video feeds, no bodies, but yours, mine, and Temari's. Itachi found us like that and he hasn't said much about the incident since."

Tsunade sat back down and cradled her head in her arms and Sakura thought that this must have been a thousand times more painful for her because she'd never seen such a proud woman look so pale.

(o)(O) 6:50pm – the previous day (O)(o)

"You" Hinata said, and she backed up.

She knew that short hair, almost cropped with raven locks at the front. Dark eyes so black and expressionless that she immediately felt hopeless. "Hinata" he said, and his smile was fake and so wrong.

"Sai" she managed out weakly, "I thought…"

"That I'd be too busy to make sure you weren't getting yourself into trouble." He deadpanned, "No, I think Sasuke agrees that you cause far too much trouble for someone so tiny. I think it's about time you went back to your room so he doesn't go on another rampage to keep you locked up in a cage somewhere" he looked to the roof in a semblance of an eye roll.

In that time, she turned and raced for one of the large windows. She rammed into it and bounded off like a fly, landing into Sai's arms and when he whispered into her ear, she finally felt the chills, "I'm starting to think you like the chase. Oh yeah, the windows are chakra proof so you can't break it unless you get a boulder." He let her sit down on the floor because she couldn't quite control her legs and he let her down in such a mock show of gentleness.

"There you are" she turned and she was sure she got whiplash from just her hair alone. Sasuke was dressed casually, t-shirt, black pants, and his eyes were so soft and happy when he saw her that she could almost drown in them, "Running away again I see."

And she yelled because she was sure she could hate him more that way, "You hypocrite. Hypocrite! Hypocrite!"

She wasn't sure how much longer she'd screamed at him because Sai had backed away and she was suddenly warm and wrapped and safe, like a baby again, and Sasuke was telling her that it was ok if she said that because for once, he'd try to listen to her.

Hours, or seconds later –she wasn't sure - she told him that she'd like to see Naruto (because he was so bright and pretty and strong and everything he embodied was good), but Sasuke said no.

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><p>Sorry it took so long. I had to go through old reviews to even draw up the inspiration to get this done, so thank you, they really do help. Hope it wasn't too blocky. I'm a little tired right now, sorry.<p>

Reviews are loved.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Thank you to the new reviewers.

I feel like rewriting my previous chapter though, just cause of the typos and how choppy they look; but then at the same time, I like to compare how I wrote in the beginning to how I write in the future. (or it could be laziness)

Facts, so people don't get confused and I don't confuse myself. Hinata is currently 26. She went missing 3 years ago at age 23.

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

**Change Your Mind**

(o)(O) Konoha – 16 years ago (O)(o)

_Hinata was 10 when she first met Sasuke._

(At least, that was the closest age she could remember when she had most likely met him; sometimes, she'd forget these things.)

_Hinata ran through the shrubbery, small feet padding through the grass as its dry and prickly texture brushed up against her skin. She hiked up her kimono a bit to accommodate parts of the forest that had grass growing too tall – most likely from a lack of trimming – though she did try to evade those sections. She knew her father wouldn't be pleased if he saw stains brushing up against the bottom length of the colorful kimono, though it was predominately white with red and blue floral patterns crisscrossing up its length. _

_Another few feet ahead and she could already see the Hyuuga household up ahead, and even from that point, she was constantly reminded of how luckily well-off her family was; almost in a sort of smug sense and she never did try to show it. _(It wasn't until she became older that she could possibly even understand that perhaps all those riches, jewelry and power her father often accumulated around himself was to compensate for the loss of her mother.)

_When she neared the compound, she made sure to brush off any stray strands of grass from her kimono, brush her hair back a bit, then take a step forward. _

_She met a mass of blue and black and got a glimpse of raven hair before tumbling to the floor._

_She heard a scoff from above her as she tried to regain her bearings, holding in her tears, because she was sure that she had fallen on the wrong angle on her leg._

"_Watch where you're going"_

_She tried to tell herself: father says a Hyuuga doesn't cry. We don't cry, we don't…_

_But, tears were already falling and she looked up to see raven eyes boring down at her. _

_The boy was short – most likely shorter than her upon inspection – and he had large black eyes and hair that stuck out at the back and a sneer coupled with his face. "What're you lookin' at?" _

_She let out a small whimper, but muffled it back with a quick, "I-I… n-nothing" _

_And suddenly, another boy, looking almost similar to the first one except with the obvious fact of his larger height, appeared beside her and leaned forward. He took in her expression; she was sure of that. "You ok?" and before she could answer that, he was turning back to the younger one with a scowl on his face – they really did look similar – and sighed, "Sasuke, that was rude. You should apologize to-" and he turned to look at her expectantly._

_For a moment she just stared at him, absolutely dumbfounded and bewildered. He had long raven-hair, and unlike the smaller one – Sasuke – it trailed down the length of his neck and stopped at his shoulders. It had been let loose and honestly, fit him. Realizing she'd been staring, her face turned red – and she knew that it must have crept onto her neck too – and she stuttered out, "H-Hinata" and was even more embarrassed when it came out as a squeak. It was definitely at times like these, she wished she could fix her stutter, but she just couldn't help that she was nervous._

"_Yes, of course, Hinata" and the older boy smiled, "I'm Itachi" and she was so grateful that he had ignored her red face and her rude pause, and the fact that she probably had grass stains on her kimono and a scraped knee. He turned away from her and repeated, "Sasuke, apologize to Hinata"_

_There was a shuffle, and Sasuke was in front of her, "Sorry" and he looked away thereafter, some semblance of a pout on his face that seemed to be more of a scowl._

_Itachi stood, and Hinata suddenly noticed that he was much older than she'd originally thought, towering a good head or two. He must have been in his early teens._

_Sasuke seemed to notice her inspection of Itachi because he glared and reached out to tug on the older boy's kimono, "Brother, let's go." They both wore black kimonos; she thought it made them look really pretty._

_Itachi turned to look at Sasuke for a second, grabbed his hand, then turned back to her – and it must have been the cherry blossom trees blowing in the wind behind him from the compound or the angle that the sun was shining down on him because – Itachi looked beautiful._

_She was sure her face was tomato red at that point. _

_He seemed to gaze at her for a second longer – and she could have sworn his face had twisted into a smirk, but really, it most likely must have just been a wide smile – and then he said gently, "are you sure you'll be ok?"_

_For a second, she just stared, then stuttered out, "Y-yeah." She stood up with effort. Her foot hurt a bit, but Itachi was watching – she could ignore the pain – and she let out hesitant smile._

"_Y-yes"_

_He smiled – and she was sure she would treasure it as butterflies danced in her stomach for the first time– and he walked away, hand in hand with his brother._

_A week later, if she could remember, Hanabi was promised to Sasuke._

(o)(O) Konoha – Present day (O)(o)

Sakura jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Sakura, you need to get some sleep"

Naruto. Of course.

She frowned and turned to look at him, dropping the pencil on the table in front of her and rubbing her brows; she then looked at him, "Don't even try to make this seem smaller than it actually is, Naruto. I know everything's messed up, and there's still a chance that-"

Naruto cut in, gentle, "It's late. It's almost midnight. The last thing I need is my partner passing out on me."

His voice cracked a little on the end and she realized that she really was his partner, his only partner; what was left of team seven.

She bit her lip.

"Naruto"

He grinned and it was far too wide and far too forced, "Don't worry, Tsunade can handle all that crap for now." He sat in front of Sakura's knees and it made her shift a little, "She used to be a top analyst before, you know, before she started to pretty much run the analyst institution and the ANBU- while the boss is away, at least" he laughed and brushed his hair back, "You know-"

Sakura frowned.

A distant look appeared on his face, "I should have known. Sai always seemed too nice sometimes, and would fit in so perfectly, that I wouldn't notice when things just went too smoothly a-and-"

"Naruto" she stopped him there – it was her turn of course - because she was deathly afraid that he would start to cry and she just wouldn't know how to deal with it, "I'm going to sleep now. You're right, I feel tired"

She was sure, if she didn't talk, he would bring up Sai again; or (God help her) he'd bring up _Sasuke_ again.

It was like slow motion – like he was working hard to move each muscle on his face.

Then he grinned, "That's good" but it really wasn't because the corner of his mouth was tilting downward in an almost painful grimace and she was sure he didn't notice.

"Yeah, I'm going in a sec. I'll see you tomorrow" and she gestured to the door.

She turned back when he had left and for another brief second, the corner of her vision pulled and she felt like she was going to fall over, then she steadied herself against the table ledge and let in a deep breath.

She'd look up Sai's history, then ask Tsunade if she could help with the analysis of The Attraction Effect.

But maybe, she'd first apologize to her.

(o)(O) Konoha – 3 years ago (O)(o)

_Hinata tensed._

"_Well, this is surprising," Sai reiterated, deadpanned, "Not really though. I didn't expect it, but it sure was a possibility"_

_Hinata shook like a leaf and she was trying to tell herself to not show weakness because Sai looked like if he found it, he would wolf it down, but Naruto wasn't there and her mental mantra of 'don't cry' and 'oh my god, breathe' was not working. _

_He was ANBU, but he wasn't on her side. _

_The male continued on like she wasn't scared or close to the point of breaking down. She was sure he could see the regret on her face; it was palpable. "Well, strangely enough, I saw Naruto the other day. Crying, I think." He smiled (that fake smile), "I don't know if that was the look from him you were going for, but trust me, now he's solely focused on you. Now, tell me," he clasped his hands and leaned forward. _

_The room was secluded – a part of the Suna borders and often overlooked by the ANBU because of its remote location – and it did nothing to settle the chill Hinata felt. A quiet room she'd been dragged into after running for so long – like how the days would bleed so far into the night, that she wouldn't care because either way, she was running – and then being sat by a table._

"_Do you really think running away to complete some huge quest that Naruto is barely even aware of will make him fall in love with you?"_

_Hinata turned away and bit her lip until it drew blood._

_Sai let his smile drop, "Answer me"_

_She shook, "I-I don't have to say anything to you"_

_Silence, and then Sai drew out his gun and shot her shoulder and Hinata screamed, turned in her seat until it tipped and she fell to the floor. Her head bounced off the ground and for a second, there was no pain. Just the feeling of a sudden wetness by her side. Then when she reached to touch it – and oh god – it was her blood and she started to scream, but it came out as half-scrambled sobs._

"_Calm down. It's just a superficial wound." Was the nonchalant answer, and a chair was scraped over so he could sit above her, "Funny how chakra is said to be so ancient and so damaging that we have to guard their secrets into scrolls and covet ninjas who harness this power, yet-" he held the gun to her face, "just one shot of a gun and chakra won't keep us alive"_

_He smiled and Hinata gasped, staring straight into his eyes, partially blocked by the gun settling between her eyes, "S-stop"_

_Sai's smile was back, and it wasn't so fake as it was amused, "I hate rats like you. Can't stay in one place. Need to question the higher order. Need to be important. Well-" he was looking her in the eyes as well, "For you, it's the need to be important to one person. But then again, you chose the wrong mission to turn yourself into a heroine. A fact that you should keep though-"_

_Hinata held her breath because he was talking and the longer he talked, the more likely she'd be able to maybe weave some chakra into her good hand and maybe land a hit to –_

_Sai tapped her forehead, "Listen"_

_Her eyes refocused immediately, and she was sure that she was focused; she could almost feel the coldness of the floor beneath her, the dampness of her brow and skin, limbs shaking. _

"_Where was I? Oh yes, the fact." His smile lost its edge, "Never choose a mission so intertwined with politics." He smiled, "ANBU politics. Clan politics. Oh, and personal matters as well, because this mission you stole has all of that. When it says, kill Orochimaru, it really means, destroy the fabric that keeps us together, and", he hummed, "Orochimaru knows that."_

"_And which side are y-you on?" she evaded, counting her breaths. _

_He was standing suddenly, not answering, "Hmm. I think this just got more interesting." _

_Hinata rolled the slightest to her side, remembering to cover her wounded side with her stronger arm, and took a crouched stance. She crawled out of the cover of the chair Sai had been sitting on. Sweat now dripped down her forehead and she focused chakra into her eyes to clear her vision._

"_Don't do that"_

_And she shook._

"_Two years of the ninja academy was it? Then you were taken out. You barely have enough experience to face me. You can run well, I'll give you that" _

_Sai turned to her, and she felt like she'd been pumped full of adrenaline – if he was going to kill her, she'd take him down with her._

_He was still smiling. "I'll teach you how to spy properly. Maybe let you expand on your knowledge. You're a Hyuuga, correct?" he let out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"_

_She didn't think for too long. His hand or death. _

_Hinata took it, though she was shaking and her skin was clammy._

_She really wanted to see Naruto again. _

(o)(O) Otogakure – 12:05am (O)(o)

Hinata rolled over in the bed when the door opened behind her.

There was the soft padding of footsteps, then the bed dipped and arms were suddenly holding her up and pulling her into the centre of a body; a warm body that she just wanted to lean into and close her eyes. No, no, no.

There was a breath against her neck and she could feel him inhale her skin then rub soothing circles on the palm of her hand.

She didn't jerk, though it was her gut instinct to do so. Hanabi had often done that same motion when Hinata forgot to act like a big sister; she had tried to not let it happen all the time.

With Sasuke, it just felt copied

"You smell pretty," he said.

It was so _completely_ unlike his brash comments and biting remarks that an instinctual part of her knew it was his apology. For what? For everything, perhaps. Or nothing at all. Or for being caught.

"Don't say that. You're here when you should be with Naruto and Sakura. And you should be dragging Sai back, or speaking to the ANBU or sorting this out, somehow, then-"

Sasuke puffed out a breath against her skin and that part of her that she compressed so easily knew he was laughing and was most likely amused, "One step at a time Hinata"

He pulled her down with him on the bed, and she consented because she didn't want more yelling to happen and her throat was hoarse.

"Bad dream?"

"Bad day" she replied scathingly, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about it would you?"

His calmness was not what she expected, and he was back to the apologetic circles on her belly this time, "I must be because you've been in here too long with no one to talk to that you're reacting like that"

"Or maybe it's because I'm in here when I could be out there"

"That's alright Hinata, just sleep and I told you I'd handle everything"

She turned to him when he said that because, that small insignificant part of her was whispering that she should just let herself go. Become a part of the more experienced and stronger person pressed up against her. Just listen to him and everything would be alright. Maybe get married and –

Hinata _hissed_ and slapped a hand against his face, "**Stop** that." She'd seen that unmistakable red in his eyes and the spinning of black irises, soothing and seductive, "Don't you dare control me"

Sasuke sighed and pulled her closer, even when her palm was still against his face and their breathing was mingling by how close they were.

"I've got a plan, don't worry"

Her palm didn't move. She could still almost feel the concentrated chakra just under his eyelids, though her own chakra had been limited by some sort of seal – probably placed on by Sai after her initial outburst. She bit out, "to kill…" and then trailed off.

"Yes, and to save us"

"Us?" she repeated, and her palm slowly lowered to reveal those red eyes, bright.

"Yes" he repeated, and he pulled closer, "Sharingan"

And those black comas in each eye that she'd mistaken for irises were suddenly spinning.

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><p>Yes, there's probably typos. Sorry. I also updated this late. Double sorry. Right now, things just aren't going so great, but I'll be back to hopefully get this story on track (I hope I haven't completely butchered it yet).<p>

Questions? PM me.

Reviews fuel updates.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Thank you to reviewers.

As promised, this chapter is dedicated to Cutie Emo Panda for reminding me to stop procrastinating in the nicest and most touching way possible.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

**It's Not Alright**

(o)(O) Konoha – The Next Day (O)(o)

_The sharingan, _the file read, _is a trait usually present in those of one of the great clans, the Uchihas._

_The original sharingan, used by the founder, Uchiha Madara, had abilities which consisted of copying an enemies skills, frequently jutsus, and, based on the movement of an opponent, it predicted their next course of action._

_During a progression of years, the sharingan has mutated, eventually achieving the ability, as of yet, to influence the thought process of an opponent, bringing feelings to the forefront that the opponent usually keeps in their subconscious. _

_The usefulness of this newest mutation is a subject of controversy, since immunity to this version of the sharingan is either a strong will or previous conditioning born from repetition._

Sakura took note: _Sharingan allows the user to influence a victim's desires. Borders on mind control._

"I've never heard of this" she said – and maybe she had to hear herself say it out loud because she was afraid she might lose herself again – and closed the file to lean back. The file had been sitting on her table when she had come back from a routine check-up at the hospital. She didn't ponder too long on how it had found its way into her – so far – rented room in the ANBU headquarters.

"Sakura?"

The analyst jumped – oh shit – and turned, hand placed over her heart, "Naruto, don't sneak up on me like that!"

He looked thrown, like a kicked puppy, "I'm sorry, are you – hey, what is that?." There was that rigid look.

Her gaze followed his to the file on the desk.

"I- it was there when I came here" her eyes darted back to the blonde and he had his lips pursed and his hands were clenched.

"Did you read it?"

She was caught off guard – and a small part of her wanted to say no because she was entitled to her own secrets, damnit, if Naruto could do that – and all she could squeak out was, "Yes"

And his shoulders just slumped, like a load had just been added on to them. He walked up to her with a heaviness she had never noticed before and he took the file, placing it under his arm before leaning down in front of her.

There was a pause.

"…When you called me that day at Itachi's mansion, I thought- I thought, for sure, you would die and I wouldn't be fast enough and all that training would be for nothing because, you'd be dead and I'd still be…" he took a breath and his hair covered his eyes when he leaned back.

"Naruto…" She felt awkward and out of place. Like, maybe she was supposed to reach out and pat his head or hug him or even tell him everything was ok and that she was alive.

She didn't get the time to think at all because he took her arm, the file falling between them, "I need you to back off from this."

"This?" she could only mimic. His hand was warm.

"Sasuke and Hinata, and S-Sai, and everything else, I need you to just stay away from it. I'll take care of it, and you just need to let Tsunade take care of you-"

He must have seen her face scrunch up in confusion, because he said softly, "It's too dangerous. Sasuke-he doesn't care – at least, not enough that you can go throw yourself out there to help. He's just a little lost right now, and he just needs to be watched over and all his little slip-ups need to be taken care of and he'll be fine. He's just…lost, and sad, and maybe when he's holding her and maybe when they're with a baby, he'll be happy, and safe, and sane, and just promise me, Sakura, you won't do anything stupid."

Her jaw went lax and she could only stare. _What?_

"Sakura,_ promise_ me"

_Wait…What?_

"Sakura"

And, oh, he was somewhere between nervous and crying and a grown man shouldn't have to look like that in front of her, and his palm was stone cold and shaking in her grasp. She felt like he would just fall apart.

"Ok…" she managed quietly, "Ok"

Then, he showed her a brilliant smile and she almost forgot that he'd just said words that made no sense and that he wanted to fix everything and that he wanted her to leave it.

Almost.

"But he's still marked –all of them are marked as traitors. I don't understand how you're going to fix that."

"Don't worry, I'm an ANBU, I can handle it."

She paused –and she knew this would backfire, but a part of her was so hurt, "We're partners though, and Sasuke and Sai are a part of our team. The problems with our team are just as much your problem as they are mine. Right?"

Naruto looked grim again, almost immediately, "I can't. You'll…I…"

"Ok" she took a deep breath, hurt "Ok. If you don't want to tell me, like the rest of this godforsaken shit building that keeps far too many secret and hides far too many things, then I'm done!" She could feel her face growing warmer, simmering under the surface, "I almost died for something I couldn't understand, Naruto! You liar! I know you're hiding something! I know!" and she was standing and pushing him back and she was sure she was hitting him in the chest and crying – she was more angry then sad, but her stupid hormones were making her cry.

"Sakura" he said softly, and she vaguely noticed that he was allowing each hit she placed to land on him, each hit to hurt, and he mumbled again, "Sakura," but she added back in a mocking tone,

"Naruto" and she laughed and cried and mostly cried. She wasn't sure how long she did that because when it was over, his sleeves were wet and he was holding her almost in a choke hold, like he didn't know whether to knock her out or let her just continue, but he didn't leave.

They sat in a silence for a while, blissful silence, with just her sniffles to interrupt, or her sneezing.

He finally spoke after a few more minutes that seemed to stretch on like forever, "Ok. I- I promise you, I'll tell you everything, but…but you can't act on it or do anything that'll put you in danger. I won't lose you. You're…my partner." She felt his chest rumble, like laughter, "A good one. A really nice one; you're a really nice partner" like he really wanted her to know that, "but just give me some time first. Just some time."

Sakura was quiet, feeling like the conversation had moved her way far too fast, like he'd wanted her to force him to tell her the story, but wasn't so sure now that it'd happened. "Ok" she repeated.

(o)(O) 5 hours later (O)(o)

Sakura bowed when she entered the largest room in the ANBU building and was greeted by long blonde hair and light brown eyes. The woman was wearing an elegant gown again, much more than Sakura had ever seen. Most of the time, when she'd been in the institution, Lady Tsunade had only ever worn a shirt and shorts, like she hadn't cared what anyone thought; someone of her power never really had to worry.

"Sakura" she addressed her, sweeping the pile she'd been working on, "I've been expecting you for a few weeks now."

"I'm sorry" Sakura said, and it pained her to say that because it wasn't completely her fault, but it could be.

Tsunade smiled, and Sakura immediately felt better because if Tsunade was beautiful all on her own, she was gorgeous when she smiled.

"That takes a load off my mind Sakura" and her voice sounded almost sad and wistful, but she was still smiling.

Only after a few seconds did Sakura finally agree, "Me too."

(o)(O) Konoha – 15 years ago (O)(o)

_Hinata was 11 and Hanabi was 10._

_Sasuke usually came to visit Hanabi, twice a week at least to get to know her better –as well as children could - and would sometimes sit in the yard with Hinata when Hanabi was out training or working to succeed her father in the company._

_Hinata would be lying if she didn't say she was jealous of Hanabi._

_Sometimes, when Sasuke came over and sat by the porch – Hanabi would be gone during that time – she'd accidentally let loose a very soft-spoken tidbit of envy, like, "H-Hanabi works hard, but f-father says he's not happy with her pro-progress" and she'd quickly reciprocate, out of guilt, with, "but I'm sure she'd do better than I ever could" and immediately feel bad for what she'd said and would glance a peek at Sasuke._

_He'd only snort and look at the sky, lips quirked between a grim line and a smile._

_On one particular day – she wasn't sure, but she knew that was when everything could have started – she asked her father if she could go out into the field, a section of the Hyuuga compound that was usually trees and untamed grass. He frowned and said no because he'd been having a bad day. _

_Hanabi was allowed to go out though, _and Hinataremembers far too often that feeling of anger and guilt and sadness and betrayal, but she mostly remembers Sasuke.

_When Hinata politely bowed to her father and turned to walk away, she spotted Hanabi already outside, prepped and ready to go- Hinata honestly could not remember where – but Hanabi was in a pretty floral kimono, a brand new one with her favorite flowers and her hair was tied up so prettily that Hinata had to touch her own choppy locks and see red._

It was an old jutsu, Hinata remembers, not that remarkable because it was weak – and she remembered she'd learned it to please her father, but he'd only brushed it off, saying it would no way hold her in a battle and required little to no chakra, and blah, blah, blah.

_At that moment, Hanabi had been walking beside a mud puddle and maintaining an impressive balance against a wooden ledge that bordered it –kept there, most likely, until the puddle dried out – and Hinata had done it._

_She murmured, "Fuuton: Gentle breeze" and like a snake, the simple jutsu coiled itself around Hanabi, who hadn't seen it coming and she fell into the puddle, kimono ruined, and tears following shortly after._

_As usual, Hinata immediately wanted to apologize, but she was more scared of what Hanabi would say, so she turned and ran, but had only went a couple of meters until she crashed into Sasuke. He wasn't looking at her though when she'd crashed into him, but at Hanabi trying to get herself out of the puddle._

_It was only moments later when he laughed and looked at Hinata, caging her in his grip on her shoulders, "You did that?" and when she didn't answer, he was laughing again, "That was nice" and she didn't understand why he wouldn't let go._

(o)(O) Otogakure – Present day (O)(o)

Sasuke would come in with dinner, sometimes lunch, or breakfast, and his eyes would sometimes be red, and she'd usually turn her head to face away at times like that.

He'd sleep in her room, on her bed, like he didn't fear she'd hurt him, and he was right, because sometimes, she felt that if she'd try to hurt him, Orochimaru would find his way in and kill her. It'd only been a few days, but she knew it wouldn't be long until he demanded her presence, and Sasuke just seemed to say nothing about it. He'd pat her head or kiss her cheek – at this point, she'd allow it, because there was nowhere to run – and would talk about plans that made no sense to her.

He didn't try his sharingan again after she had panicked and kicked him off the bed and told him to never touch her or look at her.

He sometimes respected her wishes, but most of the time, he'd take her in his arms and just hold her and would say, "Only when you're ready" like they weren't in a location that could be stormed any day by the ANBU.

She'd wish that the ANBU would come and just end it, but more often than not, she wanted to be out of the room because she could feel the walls shrinking in.

Time seemed to bleed into really long seconds and she'd start to look forward to Sasuke's visits.

Her escape attempts were shattered, usually when she reached the door, or when Sasuke would come in and she'd be too relieved to gather up what little chakra she had that hadn't been sealed and hit him in the face with it.

(o)(O) Konoha – Present Day (O)(o)

Sakura tried not to realize that Naruto would stare at her often – too often, like he was trying to memorize the way she moved or, worse yet, to make sure she wouldn't or couldn't leave – and she really made the attempt to feign ignorance. Sometimes, she'd turn to look at him when his stares became unbearable and say something along the lines of, "It's a nice day today" and Naruto would crack a smile and say,

"Want me to show you how to do a _really easy_ knockdown?" And he would emphasize the 'easy' and rush her to the ANBU training field outdoors, then proceed to show her completely intricate moves that she was sure would be impossible for her – but really, maybe he just wanted to go outside.

Sometimes, though, she was sure that he just wanted to ignore the situation as much as possible.

She would sometimes say, "Whenever you're ready to talk Naruto…" he'd reply,

"But, Sakura, I want to show you another really cool move, and it'll really help you – I don't know – later, and you did ask me to teach you how to fight, right?"

In times like those, she really wanted to say, "No, Naruto. Maybe later. We have to find Sasuke, Sai, and Hinata. They're still out there and it's obvious the ANBU's at a standstill with this. We need to figure out why and just _find _our team," but what she would say instead is: "Yeah, what do you want to show me this time?" and let out a half-hearted laugh that made Naruto's face light up like the sun.

She couldn't deny him this – but she also knew she could, and really, she just didn't want to work again because she felt like she'd screw up _again, and again, and again –_ and at least, she **couldn't** fail when looking at Naruto's megawatt grin.

Sometimes, she'd see one of the ANBU members milling around, but observing them with an air of nonchalance.

She'd feel that she should inquire about them, but then, Naruto would say, "Sakura, I _swear _this one's really good!"

Then it'd be back to the field and he'd laugh and she'd mirror him.

When he turned away, her smile would crack.

That went on for a solid week.

Then, on one of those lazy days when Naruto stated that he wanted to get a drink after teaching her how to do a more complicated move in self-defense that was _actually_ possible for her, Sakura watched from one of the benches in the outdoor ANBU training field at the rolling clouds. She hung like a lazy sloth, trying to pick out shapes in the sky.

A figure appeared at the pinkette's side, tall, no older than her, with spiky black hair drawn into a ponytail. He had an unfamiliar face, but wore black, like the majority of the ANBU, "Do you normally laze around and do nothing?"

She would have been startled, if not for Naruto's basic training, reminding her to be always aware of her surroundings - even if she was an analyst. She had heard his footprints from a few meters away, but he seemed to want to be noticed.

"Lady Tsunade says that this is your shock treatment since you were in a near-death experience" he said neutrally and took a seat, cross-legged on the grass beside her.

She took a moment to actually look at him – like, really look beyond shallow glances.

He had scars, almost invisible ones, lining down his neck, which wasn't obscured by the black he was wearing. His eyes were dark, with one of those almost invisible scars on his cheek. He inclined his head, "But I also disagree with her. I'd have to say, I think you need therapy, not Naruto's twisted form of it. Many analysts see the battlefield and receive therapy. That's normal. It's regulated -"

She stopped him with an intricate, "What?"

He smiled, sloppy and fitfully lazy, "Shikamaru. Head of the Psyche Department." He shrugged from his seat, "Really though, I'm just a glorified therapist with many more glorified therapists working under me. And you're Sakura Haruno. I read your file. Age 26. Graduated a few months ago from the Analyst Institute with top marks. Worked- is working - in Team Seven." His face took on an amused look, "Went on a first mission, which was abandoned. I have no doubt Sasuke was the cause of that. Hid a virus purposely from ANBU intel-"

She cut in, sitting up now – though, a part of her didn't want to hear her mistakes out loud, again, "How can you just say that – his name – like its-"

Shikamaru finished, "-nothing." He caught her eye, "It is nothing. I don't doubt he's with Hinata, and, trust me, I've personally seen to him, and his brain is scrambled, hidden well though, just enough that the ANBU let him continue working. Anyway," he waved his train of thought away with his hand, "As long as he's with her, he won't do much."

"Wha-why does everyone say that?" Sakura began, incredulous, overwhelmed – that's all she'd felt since leaving the Institute, "Does the rest of the ANBU know this? I mean, if he's even just a bit…" she trailed off and bit her lip, "I mean, he's-"

Shikamaru took his turn, amused expression gone, "More dangerous. I don't think intelligence wants to admit to it, but if he actually had his head screwed on properly, hell, if his whole family did, they'd have taken over Konoha by now and made all of us their slaves or soemthing"

She blinked, "Why are you telling me this?"

A shrug. "I don't know. Maybe it's the therapy you need. Information. Someone to talk to you about him, and I don't know," he shifted, "and Sai as well, if you'd like a boring rundown of his not-so-great family and his semi-detached nature, which I warned the rest of ANBU about, but do they listen? No." By now, Shikamaru was leaning back and staring at the clouds she'd just been looking at, "I'm just their glorified therapist. Just there to sit down, do my psyche magic on battered ANBU agents, then send 'em back out there as good as new. Except, I think they forget that mental scars are harder to heal than physical ones."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, "Do you mind?"

She shook her head no, and he lit it up and watched the fumes float into shapes.

"Seriously though, come talk to me for unbiased answers." He puffed a bit more, then stood, wiping off invisible grass stains and pulled out a slip of paper, "Twice a week from 4-5 PM. We'll talk then."

She took it and looked at it, "This looks like a therapy schedule."

He shrugged, back turned away from her, "Who says it isn't?" His parting words were almost understanding, "You can't work until you've let some of the past go. Those experiences need to be addressed before you can think clearly."

Sakura decided she would listen. Sasuke and Hinata and even Sai could wait. She could wait.

Maybe, after this, Naruto would talk to her.

(o)(O) Otogakure (O)(o)

Hinata was alone in her thoughts when Sasuke came in and said, "Orochimaru wants to speak with you" and his face was sour, and he must have seen the look she'd made –bone chillingly pale and scared – and his features immediately turned into a smile, "Don't worry" and it was only soothing because he was all she'd seen and known for a week, or maybe even longer, "I'll protect you"

She didn't even bristle at that, didn't even retort that she'd been helping herself just fine until…

She couldn't remember, but didn't think on it too long because Sasuke was ushering her out.

* * *

><p>Note: Fuuton: Gentle breeze is an actual jutsu. I don't remember where I saw it from, but it certainly is not something I made up.<p>

Reviews fuel updates. Questions? PM me.

There are probably typos somewhere. Sorry.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Thank you to reviewers.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

**Be Your Anything**

(o)(O) Otogakure – 3:00pm (O)(o)

"Do you know why you're here, love?" Orochimaru asked – well, in Anko's body, which looked slightly battered, but bandaged – and his – or her – gaze was piercing. Hinata could feel his eyes crawl under her skin and it warranted the same uncontrollable reaction she couldn't contain; fear. Almost immediately, she forced herself to cut down that reaction, so that shiver looked like nothing more than a slight tremble and the widening of her eyes was just her dropping her gaze.

Sasuke stood a few meters away, leaning against the door they had come in from.

Hinata found her voice, "I disobeyed you" and she was almost pleased that her tone didn't tremble.

That seemed to be the right answer because Orochimaru leaned forward in his chair, adjusting his bandaged arm so that it was clutched safely in the bend of his stomach; it seemed like a feminine, almost dainty movement, but his other hand was on the chair rest, fingers flicking back and forth lazily, "You did."

She couldn't help but think back to The Attraction Effect, her plan crumbling at her feet after that rash –stupid – decision to risk her life and it was for what? For Naruto to look at her, to acknowledge her, to love her and perhaps more. She could feel the tears welling up, but tampered them down by thinking of where she was. Her tears froze up and she was suddenly at attention when Orochimaru continued,

"I never really considered you leaving. You were always a gentle little dove, and Sai seemed to hold kind enough regards to your skills; well, I suppose he would be like that. He trained you well enough after all." He made an attempt to laugh, but it came out as a scratchy little sound, and it quickly turned into wracking coughs.

Her almost immediate self-preserving action was to reach forward and hold him up, since the coughing had led him to hunch forward; he looked weak again.

She could have hit him, attempt to use her chakra and induce some kind of damage, throw him off the chair, or something, but all she could do was turn her gaze away, presumably to Sasuke, who had that careful neutral look on his face; chilling.

"The ANBU won't do anything, not when they have so much to lose" Orochimaru's smile was now wider, almost splitting his face, "there are rats everywhere – my spies – and if not, there are those who are in low enough positions, or so _terribly _unhappy with their lives that I provide a better alternative; whether it's for the money, the power, a shot at fame, and so on and so on."

Hinata lowered her head, a sign of resignation; submission. He was mocking her.

"But I guess I made the mistake to think you were loyal, a little skittish, sure, but loyal, lost because you wanted an escape from the hard life and from unrequited love, and maybe the suffocation." He spared an interested glance at Sasuke, and though Hinata couldn't see Sasuke's response to that, she could hear him loud and clear when the Uchiha drawled out,

"That's not a very good start to a truce, Orochimaru. Harassing my wife will only get you _killed_." He rolled the word, 'killed' around on his tongue like it was a particularly fine wine, but otherwise, the room dropped a couple degrees and Hinata could feel her hands grow colder, down to her fingers.

"You're not much different" was the response.

And Sasuke let out one of his confident smirks, "I think we're all not that different. I'm just a little bit more open with what I want."

Orochimaru laughed, "I might consider you as my new container if you keep that up."

"I'm sure that the arrangement was Itachi in exchange for Hinata's safety from all of your agents."

Hinata's head snapped up and she was turning away from Orochimaru to really look at Sasuke, like she couldn't understand – she couldn't understand at all, and she suddenly felt sick – and she didn't want to be so obsessively precious to anyone like that. A small part of her that suddenly seemed to be a bigger part of her mind disagreed and said she should stop lying to herself, that it was nice to be so precious, so coveted, so loved, and to have something like this she could never have with Naruto.

"Well, I sometimes forget these things."

Sasuke must have felt her shaking because he took the stride to her side with ease and held her close and she knew her eyes were still wide open when he said, "Be sure that you don't."

Another laugh, more feminine pitched this time or insane, and he was waving a sign of dismissal and standing up, "Well, I suppose you two can go. I'm done reprimanding my little dove. I have a speech to attend to with the people in a few minutes. Something uplifting to say to them, I suppose, as their leader. Gullible, lost, naïve things that they are. "

That made her angry, angrier still when Sasuke did a nonchalant nod – like having all those people out there who didn't understand that their leader was evil and housed a giant anti-ANBU headquarter right in the centre of their village. She remembered that assistant she'd seen, fumbling at the slight chance to talk to Anko – no, it was Orochimaru – even if it had only been to be dismissed. She remembered herself, agonizing over perfecting every tactic Sai taught her in stealth, to the moment where she'd been nothing but a blubbering mess in the sight of Orochimaru, half-scared he'd look her in the eye and call her bluff and even more scared that he'd accept her with open arms. She remembered when she'd talked to Sakura, who'd had the same look as her…

_Gullible, lost, naïve_

_Sakura…_

Hinata blinked, and Sasuke was telling her that they were in their room; she didn't remember when it had become their room instead of her prison – it wasn't the same as the original room she had when in Orochimaru's favor, because it was stock-piled with silent poisons and even quieter daggers – and he was kissing her forehead with a petal softness that made her queasy.

"It's alright" Sasuke said, "I lied. I don't want you to act like a puppet. You're not thinking correctly. You're scared and I'm sorry I tried." He was still kissing her forehead, "I won't try it again, but you just make me so mad sometimes and… I promise I'll stop trying that, but you just have to listen to me."

She looked up in his hold – and she didn't know when he'd turned from guiding her by the elbow out of Orochimaru's room to a near death embrace – and one of his kisses landed on her nose. "What are you talking about?" was all she managed.

Sasuke's gaze wavered, like his face was rippling under water, like he was removing a genjutsu…an illusion…

His eyes were suddenly red with dark commas swirling where they had been pitch black before, and then he said, "I'll dispel the sharingan" and he just sounded _wreaked_, and she just wanted to see if he was ok, but then his eyes were black again.

It was like a dense fog in her head just lifted that she hadn't realized before.

At the same time, realization hit her. Controlling. He was controlling…

"I – just leave me alone" she finally chocked out, shaking out of his grasp, "leave, _please_" and he stopped looking like he was going to face his death and more like he was a robot, because his face was suddenly blank and he let himself out, shutting the door behind him.

Hinata automatically walked to the bed, away from where he'd left, and sat down, willing her mind to remember how she'd felt beforehand, how she'd wanted him to leave her alone and let her deal with everything else, to get **something** right before worrying about what was wrong.

All she could think about though, was that she didn't feel any different. She didn't feel mad or angry, just warm where he had touched her and his kisses were seared into her skin like a mark or a tattoo, somewhere between pleasurable and uncomfortable.

She still felt like she'd just done something stupid; attempted to kill Orochimaru without a solid, realistic plan.

She still felt sick; because Naruto wasn't there as her daily dose of sunshine.

She could think better now about those things she didn't want to think of. Sakura was her failsafe. If Sakura read The Attraction Effect, then discovered the layers under the ANBU and the fear, she'd maybe save her. Maybe. Maybe, because she was all she had right now who could do it.

One thing Hinata knew though – the biggest thought ricocheting in the corners of her mind – was that she wanted to see if Sasuke was ok.

(o)(O) Konoha – 3:54pm (O)(o)

When Sakura walked into the neutral room of the psych department of the ANBU headquarters –pale colours and some earthy tones that she couldn't quite distinguish – she was surprised to see that the door to the side room was open, and she could clearly see Shikamaru leaning against a chair with Itachi and Temari occupying another set.

She could faintly hear what they were saying, though she looked away and took a step back.

"I'm fine, really, I'm completely able to take care of myself. I'm pregnant, I said, not disabled."

A sigh. "I wasn't implying anything about your strength Mrs. Uchiha-"

"Temari, I said. No need to be so formal, and I know that. I think these meetings are completely unnecessary. I've been coming here for the past two weeks at least, and I'm not feeling any more mentally stronger than I already am. When that rogue attacked, I already had a genjutsu and a shadow clone up. He didn't even pause to check if it was the real me. I was fine, and still am fine."

The deeper voice spoke up, and there was something dark and urgent in the words that followed. "The baby, Temari."

There was a shuffle, which sounded like two people standing – most likely, it was Temari and Itachi – and then they were walking out, and all Sakura could think of was that Temari had helped her back at the mansion and Itachi's brother was gone. When she looked at them though, they were holding hands and the eldest Uchiha's other hand was splayed possessively over the large bump that was the woman's stomach.

They both looked up at the sight of her, and Temari's smile was gentle while Itachi schooled a neutral face, particularly polite and disinterested. The blonde was suddenly wrapping her in an awkward hug, the mound doing absolutely nothing to stop Sakura's shock, "I'm sorry I didn't visit you at the hospital, dear. Itachi didn't let me do much of anything for those days after." Her smile was still gentle when she pulled back and the maternal waves that just seemed to emit off of her made Sakura calm down just a little bit. She hadn't noticed that she'd been so nervous to come to this branch of the department.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit you" she parroted back, and she made sure to put in all that sorrow, fear, sadness, and guilt into those words, and Temari seemed to understand because she nodded and gave a look to Itachi.

The male mimicked her nod and let out that smile that was partway between a smirk – so similar to Sasuke that it hurt - and said, "Good to see you actually functioning now."

Sakura replied, "Thanks" and added, because her mouth was on auto-pilot, "I'm sorry about Sasuke" like he was dead or something, and immediately felt like she had just trespassed against something precious the second those words left her mouth, but Itachi just did that same polite smile like he was at a diplomatic meeting,

"I'm sure he isn't sorry at all."

Temari gave an answering glare to the male and turned to Sakura with that smile again, "Visit us anytime if you'd like to talk to us about anything. The support would always be nice." It was warm, and soft and welcoming, and Sakura felt like she was back in her hometown, chatting up with friends for a weekend visit, but Itachi dulled that slightly with that look he kept giving her. Then the blonde said, turning away from Sakura, "Bye Shikamaru." They left.

It was only when Shikamaru gestured her in, did Sakura realize, both hadn't even flinched at hearing Sasuke's betrayal and neither had they appeared upset, or shocked, or really anything.

They'd held each other though, like the world as they knew it didn't matter as long as they had that baby bump between them and the warmth from each other's skin.

It was frightening, but Shikamaru was already waving her in as if the disturbance was nothing new. "You have questions?" he asked.

(o)(O) Otogakure – 8:54pm (O)(o)

Sai came in with dinner.

He shut the door behind him and looked a cross between amused and annoyed, "Lover's spat?" he inquired, but smiled – that fake smile that was too common on his face that it didn't make her skin crawl anymore –and placed the tray on the small table at the side of her bed, "He went out like an immature brat to shoot things or something equally as frivolous. I don't understand that."

She replied almost automatically, "I didn't think you would"

"I see you're back to being quick-witted, but stupid" and he plopped on an available chair at her side.

They sat in silence as she methodically inspected each piece of chicken on the plate, the rice itself, and the sauce for what could be poison.

Sai just looked amused, "What? Has he stuck in an aphrodisiac or something before?"

The Hyuuga tensed, "no, it's just habit" and she tried not to think that she had unconsciously protected what little of Sasuke's integrity he had.

"Huh" he sounded unconvinced, and tipped his chair forward to watch her closer.

When she did begin eating, he stood up, and headed to the door, "well this was fun. Let's continue to do this until Sasuke decides to go back to being your keeper, or not."

The door shut, and Hinata returned to trying to get each spoonful into her mouth. This –eating – was easy. It was simple and necessary. She didn't need to think about eating. That was good. It was. She blinked and pushed the plate away after it was empty. No, it wasn't alright. It wasn't at all. No. Sasuke wasn't here – she crushed that passing speculation.

Hinata finally – finally, like she had to wait a long time to do this - crossed her legs on the edge of the bed and thought.

(o)(O) Konoha – 3 years ago (O)(o)

_When Hinata first learned how to land a solid punch on Sai, he'd been startled - well as startled as he could be with a face mirroring porcelain._

"_Again" he said, and backed up, placing his hands in a defensive position._

_She placed herself into the customary Hyuuga stance – the one she had seen Hanabi often do in spars when they had been little, and all Hinata had been able to do was watch in awe at the balance and control of such chakra – and it was almost flawless, if not for the tired shake in her step._

"_Byakugan" and her eyes were clearer and she could see the chakra points she had to hit and was damn well sure she could do it, "Eight Divination Signs, sixty four palms" and made a race for the male._

_He blocked when she hit, and retaliated, but she blocked as well, and they were doing a familiar dance that was almost calming, but he was quick and he showed little interest when she sweated some more from exertion or when she coughed out blood after one of his hits landed._

_He made a move for her neck and she pulled out the gun he'd given her just weeks before - crushing it into her palm with a simple, "Don't think you're invincible" – and held it to his face right as his hand reached her neck, braced like a fang._

_He stopped and watched the shaking of her hand – and she knew she couldn't hide that – and the tight hold she had on it, enough that her knuckles were turning white, and she just contemplated shooting him, but she couldn't – godamnit, she couldn't do it._

_He brushed her hand away from his face after a second and nodded. "Orochimaru would like to see you" and the first thing she thought was, 'he's the one who needs to die, and then everything will have to be solved. It. Has. To.'_

_She fumbled placing the gun into her pocket, and as she followed him, he added, "Training will only become worse after this. Be prepared. Understand what you're getting into" and before she could say she understood, he was already adding, "But I'm sure you don't know what you're getting into at all."_

(o)(O) Konoha – 4:00pm Present day (O)(o)

"I don't know where to start" Sakura finally said when Shikamaru pulled a seat for her.

He snorted, "Me neither, trust me. So let's start from the beginning. That's always been good" and he took a chair as well.

(o)(O) Otogakure – 11:54pm (O)(o)

Somewhere between trying to rediscover herself –as sappy as that sounded – Hinata fell asleep.

What woke her up was someone spooning her into warmth.

She didn't move and didn't fight him. _'I'm relieved he's back'_ she thought, but quickly replaced that with, _'I hope he leaves so I can think again.'_

Sasuke was gentle and traced the small scars that twisted down her arm, and Hinata could remember that they were from sloppy attempts at healing ninjutsu when she had gotten into fights she knew she wouldn't leave unscathed. If she looked hard enough, she was sure she'd be able to find some scars from her childhood, like when she fell down and ripped her skin against the Hyuuga compound fence or that one time where she had made Hanabi so mad, she'd been scratched and both of them had gotten into trouble – but that was when their mother had been breathing and had emitted this constant presence of beauty and home.

"I love you" he said, and she only let out a stuttered, almost docile, breath and replied,

"Are you sure? This is, t-this is -"

"Yes" and he turned her to face him, like it was important that she see that there was no sharingan and that his hair was in disarray and windswept and that she could smell the scent of the forest and pine and the trace of that scent that made him what he was.

"You're hurting me" she finally said, and she meant it in any way that was important, "And I thought love means that you don't hurt the person you love. You don't hide them, or take them away or -"

He continued for her, "make sure that they're safe." His sleeve edged upwards and it drew her attention to the scars running down his arm. They were old and faded, like hers, but there were so many more and they made him seem like a stitched up doll, pieced together with odds and ends and she wondered if his mother was worried, or if Itachi was, or Temari, or Naruto, or Sakura and anyone else who cared about him.

Then he said, his face carefully schooled into a neutral look, "We're animals. We come kicking and clawing into life, and the first thing we hear is our own screaming. Then we start to grow. We learn what is ours and what isn't. We learn that if we want something, we have to take it, or someone else will. It could be a job, a house-"

Then Hinata knew where he was going.

He finished, "-or a person" and he trailed his hand from her scars to the curve of her chest to her stomach, "and all we want to do with that person is own them too. We can try to deny it, to say that we'd be fine if they were happy or we'd live if they turned away from us, but we're not fine."

He started that belly rub again, but she could still feel the nervous butterflies, "and then, when we finally own that person, it's just an innate need or instinct to want to bind them to us somehow. Whether it's a ring, a necklace, a baby…"

Hinata gasped and backed up, and she wasn't sure if her cheeks were red from anger, humiliation, or embarrassment – for herself or him, she wasn't sure – and she turned away, "I don't think that way. I don't."

There was a sigh behind her, and she couldn't decipher what it meant.

_'He's done something to me' _she thought, but she'd been wrong before.

* * *

><p>Yeah, I started this and had to finish this before taking a break, or I'd lose my train of thought and probably do nothing for a couple days before rushing out the next chapter when people have waited too long. Sorry. This chapter felt stilted and quick, but it's done.<p>

Reviews fuel updates.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Thank you to reviewers. This chapter is longer?

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

**Salt Paper Kiss**

(o)(O) Konoha – 4:00pm (O)(o)

When Sakura only sat there, somewhere between pondering what 'the beginning', entailed and could only stare at the pale ceiling, surprised by how earnest Shikamaru was in divulging her of several facts that should have been available to her in the first place – there was only a smudge of anger, no really – said male cut in with an eloquent, "The Uchiha file you found on your desk; interesting wasn't it?"

She snapped into attention. In all honesty, the file hadn't even crossed her mind. It had just been that available resource sitting on the desk of the borrowed room and had been taken away by Naruto thereafter – but Shikamaru was shaking his head 'no' and was leaning forward in his chair as well. There was a small oak desk in front of them - probably for coffee or something - but he used it in that moment to rest his hands on.

"It's not that easy to get your hands on it. You're familiar with the clearance levels, correct?" and the male pulled out a cigarette from his back pocket and rolled it in his fingers.

Automatically, Sakura easily recited, "Yeah…there are three clearance levels: Red, blue and green. Green is the information open to all citizens of Konoha. Blue is the information that is available to the ANBU intelligence workers and staff. Red is for the agents and higher ups…" and she blinked, sputtering like a speeding train as she caught up, "What level was that file?"

"Red" he said and shrugged when Sakura retaliated – it was almost second nature now that she acknowledged that her curiosity made her quick to speak,

"How did you know I had the file? Do you know who put it there? Why is the information so important that it needs Red clearance?" and she almost feared that Shikamaru would scowl or be annoyed, but he meticulously kept up with her:

"I put it there, of course. I was supposed to talk to you that day, but Naruto ended up taking a large majority of your time."

She didn't hide her shock when he continued, "I assumed that, subconsciously, you might have needed that…and trust that I'm not insulting your intelligence or the level of neediness you might feel at the moment, but we'll get to that" he hummed, "Right now, where were we? Yes, the Uchiha files should be coded in blue like the other clans, but because of the sheer amount of influence they have over the ANBU itself, most of their information is kept under lock and key – well, that's what they want you to think. If word did get around that Uchiha's had such an influence on the ANBU, they're going to put them under a tighter leash or demand a redistribution of power" and he was suddenly frowning, "and the reach of this clan is so far and so wide, I doubt it'll do much good other than to bring about frustration."

"We're talking about politics?" she said, "aren't you a psychologist?"

"Yeah" he breezed past the subject easily, "One thing at a time. Let's go back to why you're really here"

She nodded, "answers, right?"

"Yes, and therapy"

The analyst blinked and he started, "The near-death experience that you've easily hidden. That's not something you can just ignore for the rest of your life. I suspect it also impairs your judgment, makes simpler things that you've trained for harder to grasp and understand."

"I'm fine-" she began, but he cut in with,

"And you didn't question where that Uchiha file came from?" and at the dawning comprehension look she was no doubt giving, he added, "I bet it just slipped your mind, like failing to actually see how deep you are in this mess. You can deny it all you want, but we're going to talk, and I want some actual thoughts from you, not carefully worded sentences that you've been using around Naruto. I'm not him. I'll do my job and it's to ensure that you're functioning properly for the use of the ANBU" and that wry smile was there, "because it's about time we had someone like you to stir things up."

Sakura was speechless – just momentarily though – because the way he had said it partially offended her and made her want to beam in pride.

He shifted a bit before saying, "I can go through all the red files because all past mistakes are usually in there, especially high caliber ones that are attached to important cases like the one of The Attraction Effect-" and Sakura winced at that, but he continued, "There's a slight drop in your performance since your visit to Amegakure. A quick note was written that you were missing between 12:30 am and 2:30 am until Naruto subsequently found you near a ramen stand. Funny how that seemed to slip the minds of a lot of higher ups."

She took an intake of breath and this clenching feeling in her gut started to pool and she felt like she couldn't breathe – and in her mind's eye, Hinata was there and she looked frantic and her hands were reaching out like she was trying to tell Sakura something, but couldn't speak – and she just wanted him to stop talking. "I'm alright. It's nothing important."

He frowned, "It is what it is. A kidnapping, and I assume that your team hadn't taken the proper mental health precautions by getting you to see a therapist in case of any psychological trauma-"

And Sakura snapped, "I'm fine! Look at me! I'm not crazy-"

Shikamaru replied, calm with the ease of someone who expected it – oh god, he probably did, "I wasn't implying anything like that about your mental state Ms. Haruno"

She blinked and could feel something moving around in the back of her head like a vision, mostly caught off guard by his use of her last name in such a formal way and the fact that his familiar tone was gone to be replaced with a sort of steeliness that he'd used earlier on Temari.

"Even by looking at your reports, you failed to give The Attraction Effect to Tsunade, and it's mentioned that you failed to note the use of your team's name on a billboard provided by a rogue spy posing as a limo driver on the return to Konoha, and this is not including the sudden outbursts of anger, resentment and anxiety you feel. Of course, part of it could be stress and another is the trauma you're hiding and no one is expecting you to be perfect Sakura. It's important that…"

Her heart was beating really fast, she realized; confined in her chest like it was a cage, which was ridiculous because she knew her ribs were important and….she didn't know where she was going with that, but she tried to square her features and looked to the therapist again – and he had probably been talking while she was lost in thought.

He paused and she didn't understand why he was moving towards her, chair falling behind him, "Sakura, relax. You're having a panic attack." She noticed that he had dropped the cigarette that he'd been rolling around in his hand and wanted to tell him that that was a bad habit for a psychologist – probably ironic – but her eyelids were fluttering and she couldn't focus. "Shit" and he was holding her arm and reaching for a phone in his pocket.

"I'm f-fine" she said, and her throat constricted a bit, and her words came out strangled, so she focused on the curve of his jaw until the dark patches around her eyes disappeared and her breathing was back to normal.

He spoke again, pocketing the phone like nothing had happened, like he hadn't been calling for help and he'd had things under control, "You're good…You're fine."

(o)(O) Konoha – 15 years ago (O)(o)

_Hinata was 11 and Hanabi was 10._

_The day Hanabi came up to Hinata, cheeks flushed from exertion and the largest smile Hinata had ever seen since; well, since their mother had held them and cradled them in the crevice of her shoulder like they were the most precious things._

"_Hinata" she said, and she was giggling and seemed so happy. She leaned in like she was about to divulge a great secret, and she pulled Hinata into her neck and Hinata could just faintly hear their mingling heartbeats._

"_H-hanabi?" she inquired, soft and vulnerable, but just a little happy to be held so gently; it was something her sister would do that she could never hate, under all that teeming jealousy, and guilt, she could feel those tingling butterflies and warmth from being held; and she could never hate it._

"_Sis" Hanabi replied, and it was so intimate– so different from the usual Hanabi that held herself like an adult and spoke like she'd seen far too many years – and she just seemed to be a bubble of energy when she pulled away to look at Hinata. "I met someone," she said, and seemed to back-track when Hinata tilted her head. "I mean," she reiterated, "I met someone I really like. A really good friend."_

_Hinata didn't know why she felt her hands grow cold and her heart skip a beat, but she planted on that smile because it would make Hanabi smile back equally as big. "A friend?" she said._

_Hanabi laughed, "His name's Deidara. He's an-" she seemed to trip on the word, "an a-aspiring young artist. He's also thirteen." Her smile had evolved into a full toothy grin and she was rambling at this point, "He came from a clan like ours, but he went away because he didn't like what they were doing. Did you know he's been to all the villages? Oh, he can make fireworks with clay." And the last part had a breathy quality to it and Hinata knew Hanabi was in awe –and it was because she knew Hanabi like she knew the feeling of her limbs._

"_T-that's nice" she finally replied, and she knew it was the right answer because Hanabi replied,_

"_I was with father at that clan conference yesterday-" and there was this stab of jealousy in Hinata's chest at those casual words that equally reflected Hanabi's obvious power in the clan and her strength, but whenever she felt like that, she'd try to hold it down because that would mean that she could be the sister Hanabi needed, and that was something she was good at._

"_Hinata? Are you listening?"_

_And she was looking into mirroring opal orbs again, and her little sister started up again, leading her to sit on the porch of the compound as she chatted, "and I wanted to take a break, so I went to that side of the forest – oh, it was that one we visited once for a picnic – but anyway, I went to just sit there for a while," and she got more excited as she continued, "and he was there, and for a second, I thought he was a girl because his hair was so long. He wasn't though. Then when I watched him, this piece of clay he was holding in his hands turned into a bird and flew away." Hanabi took a breath, "and then it turned into fireworks, and it was amazing."_

_Hinata didn't even try to get in a word edgewise because Hanabi was already lifting her off the porch they had just sat down on moments ago, and pulling her through the field with her firm grip and laughing eyes, "You'll like him. He's…"_

(And Hinata thinks she'd known since that day that the word that Hanabi had wanted to say, but had held off on was, 'different', but sometimes she replays this memory in her head and thinks that it could have also been 'free' and 'beautiful' or 'lovely' or 'everything our home isn't.' Though, Hinata knows not to think too much on this because that jealousy and guilt and sadness will just eat away at her again, and a good ninja, is always one who doesn't have a weakness – or one who can effectively hide that weakness.)

_Hanabi didn't finish her sentence because Sasuke had appeared in the distance, another one of his frequent visits. Itachi wasn't with him – which he had taken to coming alone more often – and he had his hands in his jean pockets, a turtleneck with the Uchiha crest proudly on his sleeve with a smirk equally as proud and just a touch superior. On most days, he treaded through the grass with a loud stomp and didn't bother when it would bend the grass to forever remember his footprints; he didn't seem to mind anyway._

_Moreover, the younger Hyuuga didn't even slow down. She raced up to Sasuke, and it was probably the happiness or the adrenalin that said it – Hinata didn't know – but she said, "Sasuke, would you like to meet Deidara?"_

_He gave that look that he'd been mastering lately, part-ways bored, part-ways a smirk and nonchalance, "Who? You do know you're my fiancée right?" and he sounded like Itachi did on his rare visits; the careful balance of a scale. It was all lovely syllables that could have been a compliment or a comment on the weather. Now a days, he'd shed that baby skin ever since he'd began to take more advanced courses in the ninja academy. _

_It showed, because, when Hanabi replied, a scowl suddenly on her face, "I know. You don't have to meet him" her tone was rigid, like she knew she'd made a mistake by telling him anything, but he was quick,_

"_No, I'm interested. Hinata looks like it too" and Hinata reared back a bit – less from fear – with a sudden worry as if he would grab her hand in a vice and hold her there for a few moments just to look at her. His grin was shark-like when he saw her reaction._

"_Y-yah" she finally said, because Hanabi was ignoring him again in favor of running forward, Hinata towed along with her and hollering, _

"_Quick, before he leaves. He's out by the park grounds performing right now!"_

_Hinata could hear Sasuke's feet as he followed._

(o)(O) Konoha – Present day (O)(o)

Sakura asked, when Shikamaru wasn't clucking over her documents and making notes on her recent attack "If the Uchiha's have so much power, then why aren't they working harder to find Sasuke?" It was a loaded question, but Shikamaru didn't even hesitate to ask flatly,

"Have you ever played telephone Sakura?" and he wasn't questioning her intelligence –she could tell – because he looked genuinely interested in her answer.

"Yeah" she replied, "as a child. Why?"

"Good." He said, "so you know how it works. One person hears a message. They whisper this message to someone else. That someone else says it to someone else, who tells it to another person, and when you get to the end of the line of people, it's a completely different message."

And Sakura knew where this was going – and a part of her knew exactly what he was going to say, but the other part was saying 'no, that's not right'

Shikamaru continued, "Now, think of that as a theory we can add to everything in Konoha's affairs. Let's say Agent A has a secret. She tells agent B. Agent B, for whatever reasons, hates the secret, or is a mercenary or a double-agent and decides that they're going to pass on a different message to Agent C, who then tweaks it so that it benefits them in some way and then tells a higher up. Then, Agent A disappears."

The analyst's eyes snapped up to his face from where they had been staying on her arm, "What?"

Shikamaru waved his hand and continued, "In the context of finding Sasuke in general, I assume that minimal action is being done. Sure, one Uchiha will say, 'don't let the ANBU get into our business. We'll find the traitor ourselves' and the other will say to another, 'get rid of any information on Sasuke fighting against the ANBU; make him into a martyr or keep things quiet until we can solve this. Now, who's safe?"

Sakura felt her hands bunch into her pants, and she found herself looking around the room.

"This room is camera and sound-free" he said, "for privacy. I made sure of it." and he shook his head, "Weird that when you get out of the scheme of the bigger plot, you're suddenly ignored. That event where you were attacked at the Uchiha mansion…you know who initiated the attack, correct? Was Hinata all there is to it? Or did she fall out of the web of the plan? It seems better to hide these things then to spill everything out because you're scared. Hell, everyone's scared of something. Tell me, is the Attraction Effect safe?"

She gasped and he said, "We hide in this guise of democracy, free speech and false peace, but our village is made from the blood of our ninja ancestors. The strongest ruled. Those who had knowledge had power, and with power, control, and with control, what else do they need? We're humans, but first and foremost, we're ninjas. We go to school at young ages to learn to kill and claw our way to the top, to our own private happiness."

She paused, then murmured something completely unrelated, because she wasn't ready just yet, "…You said 'we.' You were a ninja?"

"I was" and that was that.

Silence settled into the room like a damp fog, "A conspiracy?" and her voice was weak and surprisingly, like a child's and –goddamnit, she'd worked way too hard and way too long to throw it all into the wind because of corruption.

Shikamaru smiled, "That's the life of a ninja" and she just knew part of that smile was relief from having let out this knowledge to someone who would listen.

(o)(O) Otogakure – 10:00am (O)(o)

"Rise and Shine." It was that careful drawl bordering on a monotone that woke Hinata up; Sai, presumably.

Hinata felt warm and loose-limbed, like she'd just slept through the winter and was finally starting to lose that lull of warmth; it was time to face the open air. She felt a weight beside her as she rolled around to look up at the roof, and from her peripheral vision, Sai was that black weight against the door and Sasuke was the lump by her side; unmoving, but she knew he was awake and contemplating his next course of action, if there was anything to be said at all.

"Orochimaru's cutting you some slack" the older man said, a mildly amused tone creeping in, "He's sending you on a mission."

The Hyuuga stilled, more so than one could, unless they chose not to breathe, and she focused on that one point on the ceiling that had a crack on it, "Mission?" she processed, and Sai replied,

"It shouldn't be too hard. One of our spies decided that he would turn around and betray us. His codename is scorpion, symbolic for his mass artillery of poisons. He specializes in group infiltration. Some of our agents have gone in to take down his team a week ago, but from what our intel tells us, he's the only one still alive. "

And Hinata switched to that mode she knew could protect her, like it was that second skin she had to wear to be that something she had never wanted to be. But now, on top of that skin, was that sick feeling of anger at what she'd done to herself by making mistakes, and especially what she'd become. '_If his skills are in infiltration with a group, it's more likely that the strengths he lacks are covered by his team members. Assuming that he's survived this long, it must be his training in espionage keeping him alive.' _

Sai was suddenly standing at the foot of her bed, words rehearsed, "And I know you can connect the dots. You've made stupid mistakes this past month" and she knew he was talking about Naruto, "but I know this is something you can't fuck up, or won't fuck up in this matter, because this mission is important right?"

Sasuke chose that moment to cut-in, "I'm coming with her. She won't consider escaping."

And Sai continued, like he'd been talking to Sasuke all along, "I don't think she'll escape, but she's always been good at disappearing, erasing her tracks. A ghost" he concluded, and when he looked at her, Hinata felt her blood run cold.

She knew the message. She knew what he was telling her. '_Do your job. Don't fuck up. Whatever idea you're entertaining, let it go now and kill before thinking, or you won't live long enough to continue entertaining that idea.' _

She needed to do this right; show Orochimaru that she could still be useful instead of hanging on the crutch of Sasuke's mercy. She'd need that first. If not Orochimaru's trust because that was gone, then trust in herself, in **her** skill. Then she'd be back to being that_ ghost_ of a person who did rather than experienced, who wouldn't cry when blood ran down her fingers because she sometimes liked to think that wasn't who she was. She'd sometimes think that after a day from work, she'd go home and see Hanabi's smiling face and the occasional visit of a mind-numbingly bored Sasuke – the Sasuke who didn't give a shit who she was and would only grace her with a look when Hanabi included her in a conversation. Then she'd look down, and there'd be blood on her gloves and she'd remember that she was going on thirty and she still has a clean-up to do, and would lean the body of whoever it was – she'd never remember their name, if they had a family, their age, their lovers, because it was easier that way – against the wall with a gun in their hand and mimic the crime scene of a suicide, or whatever was needed to erase all trace of her.

She'd slip up occasionally. Sometimes, she'd leave a sloppy handprint because the person or agent might have fought back or known she'd been coming and when she'd get out of it alive, she'd look at her hand again, and before she knew it, police would be filing in, and she'd have to run… again.

"I'll do it" she said.

"Of course you will" Sai replied, "and Sasuke's coming with you" and he planted a look on the other raven-head with that fake smile of his, "but not because I agree with your 'she might escape plan' because we know that's not going to happen. Orochimaru gave the order for you to come," and his look was back to Hinata, "Make it clean. No mistakes. Orochimaru doesn't have much patience," and he leveled his look back on Sasuke, "Even for you. I think he just wants you to watch your lady in action." He tossed a file to Hinata. "Read it. It has the intel. Now go."

(o)(O) Otogakure – 10:30am (O)(o)

Hinata was surprised by how easily Sasuke complied with her. He slipped into the abandoned building beside her, not as quietly as she had done by pushing chakra into her feet to make an air cushion that absorbed the shock, but he didn't seem to mind and turned to her expectedly. It reminded her of…but she held that thought. Her mind couldn't wander. He had a different aura around him now, one she recognized as a face brought into missions; aloof and merciless.

From the intel, she knew this building was **purposely** off Konoha's radar, probably by one of their double agents.

She motioned with her hand. _'Stay here, you're backup.' _His features didn't change, but he looked at her as if he didn't understand what she was saying, then he pursed his lips and gave a tense nod, stiffly turning his back to the level below.

She jumped then, landing into the crevice of a lower side beam and smoothing herself up against the natural shadows the beam made against the wall. She pulled out gloves from her pocket, disposable ones, and slipped them on. It made a slight crinkling noise. She let out a soft breath, listening to the sound of quick footsteps in the distance – most likely hearing the sound of her gloves or Sasuke's entrance. She formed the correct hand signs, making quick work of a shadow clone – a jutsu that was quite popular in espionage. The clone obediently took the silencer out of Hinata's back pocket and the gun attached to it as well.

The edges of her vision swam and she could already feel the strain it had on her chakra pool to obtain a corporal clone that would follow her orders – to be an extension of her plan. She turned to it as it cocked the gun and signaled, '_you shoot, I clean' _and the clone nodded.

"Who's there?" and she heard the footsteps stop near the beam she was pressed flat against. She wriggled her fingers, letting the glove crinkle again, and the man moved just a bit more until he was almost under the beam. He was looking frantically, checking his blind spots first, she knew, but didn't give him time to look up because she was already pulling out a sterile cloth and jumping down from the beam, covering his head so his sounds were muffled. The clone jumped as well and shot him in the chest, cleanly, and as Hinata went to drop him to the ground, the body popped into nothingness and air, and Hinata knew that it was a clone and something was terribly wrong.

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><p>Sorry for the late update. I have exceptionally challenging courses that occupy a lot of my time. Reviews, once again, really do fuel quick updates.<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

**Important Note:**

Thanks to Cutie Emo Panda for bringing my attention to two important points in the last chapter with her very professional constructive criticism (actually taken out of a conversation we had).

For Hinata, I try to be self-explanatory with her character and fail so epically, but what she is as a child is a product of her environment. She feels jealousy because any child who doesn't get what the other gets will feel jealous. She doesn't act jealous because she's "good" at making her sister happy; a ninja needs to be useful in the family, even if it's as moral support. She loves her sister but envies what she's good at; that's what makes her guilty and so conflicted. Unconditional love (atleast in this AU) is hard to come by, and Hinata's love for her sister is an attempt at it, but falls short because she's aware that while her sister will amount to something, she'll be left with nothing in terms of fame (if that makes any sense because reputation as a ninja means so much to them).

Yeah, her character diverges from Canon completely at this point. She's strong enough, but not as strong as any of the male characters in the series. You'll figure out that in her past training with Sai, she specialized in solo infiltration because it demands more spy work than actual fighting (she's not going to go right in the middle of a ring of ninja's and kick **, if you know what I mean)The story does begin with her in her lower points, so I can see why you think she suddenly seems stronger, but she really is tough (in general, a ninja isn't a ninja unless they can fight).

I'm not saying that I'm a good author, nor am I a skilled one, but I will make attempts to improve my writing because writing is a **process**. That said, I probably will **not** go back and edit chapters simply because this story is one of my first and reflects my writing ability throughout. It's something I would like to keep, look back on and all that other nostalgic jazz.

That said, thank you to reviewers, as always.

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><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

**I Made You**

(o)(O) Konoha – 4:20pm (O)(o)

"I think I know a lot of information I'm not supposed to know" Sakura finally said, and her tone came out weak. She looked to Shikamaru, but he busied himself by making a few notes, and scratched the back of his head.

"That's true."

The abrupt sound of beeping filled the room.

As if on cue, Shikamaru pulled out his pager, frowned a bit at it, and then turned to look at her.

"Hold on a sec" he said stood, walking outside.

"Ok" she replied, but it was half-hearted and weak and it was useless anyway, since he had already shut the door behind him before her response could reach him. So, she sat there, looking at the walls, taking in the non-existent patterns of the room, and she tried to pretend the tremors from her distant panic attack weren't happening again.

(o)(O) Otogakure – 10:30am (O)(o)

It all happened fast, but Hinata knew that she had to bring out her secondary firearm, but her skin was numb and she was caught off guard by how unexpectedly smart the agent was.

Time didn't slow for her, but it should have.

There was a scuffle, and Hinata didn't know when it started, but she was suddenly screaming, "Sasuke! Stop! He might have poison on him!" but by the way Sasuke had easily taken the brunt of the damage she was supposed to receive and the way that he retaliated with a kunai… and the way that both men staggered back and fell, she knew the warning was too late.

There was the sickening crack of bone when the kunai pierced through her target, but an even crueler sound when Sasuke's head hit the floor with a resounding thud as the senbon needle burrowed into his abdomen.

She ran to Sasuke – the Agent was sprawled out on the ground as well – and she was still yelling his name like a broken record, but he was laughing and saying, "I saved you there Hinata. I think you owe me a kiss and a your first born" and snorted because he probably thought it was funny, but she was having none of that, nor did she even attempt to understand his stupid ramblings,

"For once, Sasuke, just stop with your self-righteous attitude and listen to me! I'm telling you –oh god, you're bleeding so much" she could feel this sinking pit in the centre of her chest, trailing down from her stomach to pool into the deep recesses of her gut, and her breath was coming out in soft pants and he looked like he was about to say something again; "Just shut up! I n-need you to be strong right now. Do what you always do! Heal yourself, get up, I don't care – and don't you d-dare close your eyes!"

Then…

Then it clicked.

It made sense, and in her moment of clarity, she thought:

'_Well, of course. Orochimaru would put me out here, on a mission to take down a double agent that's posing as a Konoha agent. He'll frame me even more; put more blood on my hands. There's people coming from Konoha's side and they're never going to forgive me. This was supposed to be me injured, not Sasuke.' _

And, she knew that she wouldn't be welcomed back with open arms and Naruto wouldn't want to see her like this; wouldn't want to see her so immersed in this that he'd stagger back at the filth, the lies and everything she had done. But, sometimes, she'd like to think he would, that he'd hold her hand and say he'd protect her again and watch over her, so she wouldn't have to be the spy, someone's big sister, someone's daughter, someone's…

She'd be herself because that's all he'd ever seen her as.

But, that had been a long time ago.

Sasuke's cough brought her back into the present – she knew that she'd just zoned out again and pictured some fantasy moment despite the blood around her – and Sasuke was hacking out globs of it, and blood was leaking out of his eyes and skin.

She tried to think, '_I'm a ninja, I'm strong and I can do this_' but she knew that wasn't working and all she could do was wipe the blood of him ineffectively with her sleeve, and Sasuke must have thought something was funny because he started laughing.

She used her gloved hand to quickly pull the senbon out and he only grunted; it was better that she pulled it out unaware and quickly before too much poison went into his system.

His smile turned into a full-blown grin and it almost looked maniacal with the blood trailing down his cheeks and eyes bright, pools of darkness staring into her. "You're crying" he said, and leaned back a bit, breathing hard, but still looking at her in fervor.

She automatically reached her hand up to her face, feeling for the tears, but it was just his blood smearing down her chin from her attempt to clean him up. "I'm not" she finally said, a little bit dumfounded, but cold from her core.

"I don't need to see the tears to know you are" he was laughing again, but it was cut short by the amount of blood leaking from every orifice, "I think I'm feeling just a bit sick. I don't think I can do this again to get you to look at me for once, if you know what I mean."

She pretended she didn't, but she was clutching his hand really tight.

He scuttled closer to her – a half rolling motion and half inching motion, checking behind her back with one last analyzing stare to make sure that the agent was dead –a routine she knew had been beaten out of him in the clear way he had switched to such a coldness as he analyzed the dead body – then his head dropped into her lap and he relaxed just a bit. She realized she'd been knelling in front of him in her haste and had been previously cradling his neck like he'd been a newborn.

He breathed, like he needed to compose himself. "Take me to the outskirts of that forest we just passed. I have a friend there. He'll know what to do."

She felt her heart-rate pick up. "Are y-you ok?" she chocked out, and she was already mechanically putting his arm around her shoulder and was trying to support his weight as she stood up with him.

"It's not a bad as it looks. I wasn't injected with the full dose. He was weak and desperate. That was a sloppy mistake on his part" and she avoided looking at his face when he said, "So I guess he can't take me to hell with him." His tone was joking, but she knew if she were to look, there'd be a grimace on his face and a seriousness in his eyes as if he acknowledged that he would've went to some sort of hell – if there was one – and that he just didn't give a damn.

(o)(O) Konoha – 4:30pm (O)(o)

When the door opened again, Sakura was startled. Hairs rose at the back of her neck and when she turned around, eyes wide, it was just Shikamaru coming back in with a deeper frown on his face.

He gruffly uttered, "Sorry, I scared you" and it sounded so honestly sincere, despite his look, that she nodded and replied,

"No, it's ok, I get startled easily."

He hummed in affirmation, looked to her for a second and then said softly, "Our session is over for the day, unfortunately."

"Oh" Sakura said, surprised, "Well, then I guess I'll see you next week?" and she knew she sounded hopeful, but Shikamaru had been patient with her and had explained everything he could with the sort of patience that you'd expect from a teacher, and she'd enjoyed these few hours more than she'd enjoyed her stay in the ANBU.

He smiled, "definitely" and helped her off her seat. "Do you need me to walk you to your room?" and it sounded pleasant and nice, but Sakura was quick to pick up on the sudden upward infliction in his tone, like he was dreading something.

'_My mind is telling me tricks' _she wanted to say because Shikamaru wasn't hiding anything from her. He'd told her things that would have most likely never left the mouths of any of the agents in the ANBU, so she passed it off as a disappointing message he'd gotten on his pager. _'That's probably why he'd been gone for a long time' _she reasoned, and she knew it sounded weak, but she just wanted to rest and talk to him some more in the next meeting.

"I'm fine" she said, because she didn't want to waste too much of his time and she was a full-grown woman, damnit. The last thing she needed was an escort.

She waved bye when he walked her to the door and she left the room with his wry smile shadowing her that seemed all knowing and maybe just a little sad.

(o)(O) Otogakure – 10:32am (O)(o)

Sasuke was still coughing when she got them out of the abandoned building and the sun was already peeking out of the clouds making a halo on the trees and wildlife in the area.

"Where do we go from here?" she asked, and it was hesitant; she could feel the adrenalin leaving her and could feel the weight of Sasuke against her skin; the stickiness of the blood was dribbling down her shirt, wetting through and pasting to her skin.

They looked like wounded prey.

"West" he grounded out and rubbed his sleeve against his eyes, "Fuck," his breath was getting labored. She knew that his adrenalin was also warring off and the pain was slowly tapering in.

She went down with him, and he went on his hands and knees in front of her.

"What should I do?" she said and all she could think of was _'don't panic, he's fine' _and she knew it wasn't working because he coughed out more blood.

"Just give me a sec" he said and she snapped,

"No, if I do, I just know you'll die, and you can't alright, just… S-sasuke" and it broke off near the end, and she must have sounded like a wounded animal because he gave her a soft look, and replied,

"Sorry for keeping you out of the loop, but we'll be fine. Don't worry. We'll be fine."

(o)(O) Konoha – 4:35pm (O)(o)

When Sakura got back to her room, she was fully prepared to curl herself into the covers and just dream of the times when her mother had been this soft, common comfort that chased away all the scary monsters.

She hadn't thought of her mother in a long time.

She'd remembered that she had been commuting to and from the institution every day, but whenever she had come home, something rich and different to share with her mother, she'd stop herself because her mother had always had that pained look on her face and had often said, "_I'm proud of you hun, but when you get into these things, I sometimes think that you'll become one of them._" And Sakura remembered that she'd snipe back with a "_one of those what, mom?_" and her mother would reply with a soft, "_Those police fellow. The one's you talk about that have some supernatural power? And they kill people dear, I know it. I just don't want you exposed to that" _and then Sakura remembered that she'd reply with something cruel like, "_I'm going to be what I want to be…why can't you just be proud of me?" _

There was an ache in her throat and her eyes were starting to burn and in an off thought, Sakura wondered,

'_Do ninja's have mothers?' _and _'of couse they do, but do their mothers worry about them? Do they have fights with their children? Do their fathers care too?'_

But Sakura didn't remember her father, so she didn't dwell too long on that.

(o)(O) Otogakure – 10:34am (O)(o)

When Hinata was starting to get frustrated and nervous and was starting to attempt healing ninjutsu she knew she couldn't do, there was a sudden howl in the air.

It was chilling and tore into her gut enough that she could feel a spike lodge into her chest like a plague.

Sasuke seemed to grin, even though that cry could have been a call to hunt.

Sasuke laughed and threw his head back and howled too.

She froze beside him and could feel the blood drying up and becoming prickly through her sleeve, but all she could think was that he'd gone insane and she couldn't do anything about it. He'd die from the poison, and there'd be something else hanging over her head.

There was a moment of resonating silence, but then she could clearly hear a responding howl, and Sasuke was motioning for her to pick him up, and they were moving quickly suddenly, like the howl was their saving grace and they were moving west, to the sound.

"You speak wolf?" she asked incredulously, and there was a laugh bubbling in her throat –and the situation definitely did not call for it, but she'd been through a hell of a day and it would have been appropriately funny in a different context – and Sasuke was turning to smirk at her, that fervor and delight back as they walked,

"No, that just seemed the appropriate thing to do" and she'd never seen such a teasing light in his eyes that just seemed hopelessly young. The sun was shining and it highlighted his hair in a dark halo that just seemed softer at the edges. Sure, there was dried blood running down his cheeks, pooling near the bottom of his chin and his grin was somewhere between disarming and insane, but he was beautiful.

"You're smiling" he said, and that didn't stop her because –c'mon - he'd just been howling, and he continued like he'd never raised the point, "My contact keeps me safe. He's sworn to anyway. That was one of his trained wolves, Bisuke. He'll get the message from his hound and we'll be saved. Easy as that" and she sometimes envied the simplicity of his statement.

They still moved though, inching forward, and Hinata heard the howl again, and she wondered if Sasuke would howl back; her afterthought was that maybe another ninja would hear it.

Sasuke responded, like she'd asked that question out loud, "No one will suspect. Sai's assured it."

Hinata suddenly snapped to attention. "Sai?"

Sasuke replied just as easily, "I know Sai's a snake on his best days, so he'd definitely have a good affinity with Orochimaru, but I promised him something he'd easily betray Orochimaru for."

"What?" she asked, but Sasuke was shaking his head,

"That doesn't matter. At this moment though, Orochimaru is disillusioned with the idea that you went on this mission by yourself to face your death to a completely underestimated spy and that I'm still in the building sleeping somewhere."

"Sai saved me" she said slowly, "and he let me go" and she stopped in shock, but Sasuke ushered her forward and they tumbled a bit.

"Yes" the Uchiha replied, and there was lilt of amusement in his tone, but it was stopped by an abrupt cough. It was a dry heaving sound this time, "We'll meet them halfway" he said, changing the conversation so fast, Hinata was confused for a second.

There was a sudden shift in the trees.

"Or not," Sasuke said, "that's even better"

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><p>It's like, 12:00 and I'm tired. It's done and I'm going to sleep.<p>

Reviews are appreciated.

Thank you.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

That said, thank you to reviewers, as always.

Note: There is an **interlude** attached to the end of this chapter, and I was considering putting it in as the next chapter, but it's too short for that, so it's in this chapter. Reading it hopefully gives insight into the characters (I'll try T^T).

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><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

**The Winning Team**

(o)(O) Hidden Location – 11:40am (O)(o)

"Just put that in the bin over there"

Hinata nodded, taking the bloody shirt, folding it over in her hands, then putting it into the empty basket. She turned after, catching the older man in the corner of her eyes.

There was no doubt that Kakashi looked like a dangerous man. Gray hair, almost silver, was slicked back while she could just see certain stretches of it covering his left eye. He had a cloth covering his mouth, hiding the beginnings of a chiseled jaw. Strong, sturdy, scarred hands spoke experience as he expertly rolled Sasuke over onto the bedding.

A small lamp was lit by Sasuke's side; she could see the outline of his face – cleaner – now that he had gotten it wiped down by Kakashi. Other than that, the room was mostly shrouded in darkness, no windows visible since the room was underground.

By Kakashi's side, Bisuke, the dog – that seemed more wolf and intelligence – paused to lick his paws, then roll over onto his stomach, giving his master a plaintive look; most likely asking for a belly rub.

A wave of something thankful and desperate unfurled in Hinata's chest, and all she could say was "thank you so much" again, and she was given another meaningful look by Kakashi and his one visible eye crinkled up, as if in amusement, and he smiled under that cloth,

"Yes, I've heard that a few times. You're welcome."

And he must have seen her glance at Sasuke's sleeping face - so peaceful – because he continued with, "He'll be fine. You should get some rest as well. The idiot will kill me if you don't." He was smirking now.

"I-" she started, because she'd been with Sasuke so long, she didn't know whether she should (could) leave him and just the thought of it reminded her of the blood that had trailed down his chin, his nose, his eyes, and she didn't want to. He could die. He could – and she knew it happened all the time in this world, their world, but this was Sasuke and he could – die.

"He'll be fine" and Kakashi was in front of her, pushing her towards the door gently, and his tone was sturdy and just as soft, "You're honestly looking worse for wear, I'll admit, and you need the rest. You can take the room down the hall and to your left. Make yourself at home."

She was ushered into the hallway and he stood – as if he was guarding the entrance to where Sasuke was – and he gave her that same searching look and smile, and all she could do was try to look over him to see if Sasuke was ok, but he was repeating "He'll be fine."

He shut the door after one more look, and she began to numbly take that trek towards that guest room he was talking about, but she stopped and turned to walk back to the room. '_I don't know what to think…' _she thought, _'he saved me, but I don't feel safe. I feel like I don't know something, that I'm missing something important…'_

She took a step back towards the room – where Sasuke was in – where Kakashi was already whispering something from the other side.

And stopped.

She took the way to that room Kakashi had been talking about.

Even though it was wrong…she can't…

…she can't remember why she used to disagree with him.

(o)(O) Hidden Location – 7:45pm (O)(o)

Hinata imagined the sun turning into the moon, the sky turning from light blues to grays, to orange and red, then to that blackness that was the night. She could feel the beginning of tremors in her hands – again. She looked down; they were red, but when she blinked and looked again, they were a clammy pale color. She let out a breath. It had looked like the blood of those faceless agents, like ripped skin and clotting that wasn't quite working.

She stopped thinking about that because that path would make her insane, she was sure. But the only alternative seemed to be thinking about Sasuke, and that didn't seem quite right either.

Just when she was about to let the tenseness in her shoulders relax, enough that she could perhaps take Kakashi's advice, the door opened, and she swiveled her head to the noise.

"You…" the voice was confused and she was looking at hard brown eyes, clad in black, tanned – almost brown skin – covered in dust and the smell of ozone and earth. "Why are you here?" he continued., "Did Kakashi let you in here?" he continued, and she could only say quickly,

"Yes" and she was already forgiving the edge of defense in his tone when he slumped forward just a bit and was dropping the basket off his back with a sort of trusting ease that surprised her; she hadn't seen it before, not in this kind of profession.

The bag smelled of something herbal and warm – like she was walking into one of those old shops filled with plants and sweet-smelling ingredients.

"Ha" his tone was tired, "It's Sasuke again isn't it?" and answered his own question with a frown and, "what he does for this kid is insane" and he was unpacking the herbs out, "well, could you help me please?"

His tone was an attempt at demanding and annoyed, but she could see his hands; dirt covered like a gardener and his look were steely, but she could see just the crinkle of laugh lines on his eyes. They looked old, in the sense that they hadn't been used in a while, but the important scars that should have been deep weren't present, signifying less fighting and more tending.

She scrambled onto the floor quickly.

They worked in silence for a few minutes and she liked it; the steady pace and menial labor, just helping the man put things into specific categories on a mat he had laid down – also from the basket. He brought out a mortar and pestle and he silently instructed her to crush the ingredients he threw in.

"I'm Iruka" he said, finally - when her hands were run with the natural dye of the plants and smelled sweet - and before she could say her name, he added, "And you're Hinata, I know. I was…surprised to see you here, but I often underestimate Sasuke; not really Kakashi…well… some of these herbs" he started, gently now, "are rare. You need to climb really high in the mountains to get them; well, if you can find any of the mountains far away enough from the pollution coming from the big villages. You'd think that it'd be easy…well, that's good for us. We get by through selling some of these things."

They work some more.

"How do you know Sasuke?" she asks after a moment of silence, and Iruka replies with,

"I don't, but he knows Kakashi, and I know Kakashi, therefore, I know him. You already know Kakashi is sworn to protect Sasuke. You're safe and he's safe. Don't worry"

She didn't know when he did it, but his hand was suddenly holding hers, pulling her fingers open, so they would unfurl from the pestle. Belatedly, Hinata noticed that she was grinding the base of the mortar itself. "Sorry"

That look, assessing, but harmless, was there, but he replied with, "There's really nothing to apologize for."

It's comforting, and Hinata eats it up because she'll take what she can get.

She knows that idea, that segment of thought, was not hers before.

(o)(O) Konoha – 6:35pm (O)(o)

When Sakura was fully immersed in the den of covers she'd wrapped around herself, and had just covered her head with it – enough that the blankets just made another layer between her and whatever was outside – she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in"

And Naruto was suddenly beside her bed, and was kneeling down and when she peaked her head out, he was right there.

His face was paler; there was the beginning of gaunt rings that circle his eyes and the usual blue didn't seem as bright.

"I said" he began, "that I'd talk to you. That I'd tell you whatever you thought I knew"

Sakura cut him off, "Well, you sure know a lot more than me" but it was missing the edge that would have probably made him a bit more guilty, and she didn't look half as threatening, curled up in an almost fetal position; at best she could have perhaps made him feel the slightest bit of pity at the state she was in.

He winced, like what she said was a knife and it had made a cut. The blonde took a breath then, and he took a seat by her side, turned away, looking towards the door he'd shut behind him. "What do you want to know?" he asked, and it was partially an apology and partially acknowledgement of that part of his life that was her business as well now.

She's still alive.

She'd like to hear what he has to say.

"I want to know about Sasuke and Hinata" she started, because even though Shikamaru had preached about the politics and the iron fist of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke would surely bring the world along for a ride because he knew what Shikamaru knew.

(o)(O) Konoha – 14 years ago (O)(o)

_Hinata was 12 and Hanabi was 11._

_When Hinata walked into the family quarters, calling out "H-Hanabi?" and "where are you?" she hadn't expected to see Sasuke lounging in the living room, eyes trained on the mantle where a picture of her mother was placed; it was the only one they had in the house because sometimes, her father couldn't bear to look at it anywhere else. It was also one of the prettier ones as well; her mother had her hair in a braid that just seemed to glow in the backdrop of the sun. Her eyes were just orbs of opal and she was grinning. There was a visible bump on her stomach; she had been young and beautiful and could have probably commanded the sky._

_Hinata must have stared too long and thought too hard because Sasuke was turned towards her, an innocent look on his face._

"_Your mother?" he asked, and it sounded so sincere and interested that Hinata threw away that sense of doubt and worry she had around him and answered softly, "Yeah" because she had always wanted to be like her mother. _

(Even now, she remembers that her mother had this quick wit about her and a silver tongue and could charm even her father – most likely that is probably how they got married – and Hinata remembers that she had been the funniest person in the whole wide world to her. She remembered how her mother was just as good a fighter as her father, and had had far too many field jobs that it was only natural that one day, they'd get a knock on their door with a droopy-faced man saying that their mother had been lost. Hinata remembered knowing that this was normal; all of Hanabi's friends at her school had lost people and though Hinata was not in an advanced class, she knew some of her classmates had lost family as well… but that didn't stop the hurt and her father had gotten mad – not sad, definitely not sad–and he'd retaliated by throwing himself into work and building them an empire. She knows now that he must have gotten lost).

_And Hanabi really looked like their mother. Long black hair, smooth skin; that half quirk of her mouth that hinted she was silently laughing at you, but she knew better than to actually do it._

"_Hanabi's at the park listening to Deidara sing or something so you can stop looking for her." Sasuke's tone was venom._

"_I c-can go get her-" Hinata started, but Sasuke cut her off with a brisk,_

"_no thanks" and said, "I lost my cousin yesterday"_

"_Sorry" she said automatically, because she knew that was the right thing to say, what everyone would say._

_But Sasuke shook his head, "His name was Shisui. He was different from the rest of my clan. I think he didn't want to be a Uchiha, but then, when he thought like that, enemies got the best of him really quickly. I liked him a lot; he listened more than anyone else. Even more than brother sometimes." _

"_I'm s-sorry" she said again, because Sasuke was still talking, and his face was contorting into something miserable and resembled the look Hanabi had given her when she realized their mother wouldn't be coming back and Hinata was sure she had held that expression once upon a time as well._

"_No. I don't want your sorry unless you can bring him back" he looked at her now, "can you bring him back. You're a Hyuuga right? Your Byakugan works on chakra points right? Couldn't you start his heart again?"_

_And that made no sense to her, and she backed up a bit, and it must have snapped him out of something because his teeth clicked and his face closed off and he turned away, "of course you can't. That was a stupid question. That doesn't work. I know that. I've studied that. It's not possible." and he trailed off into a mumble and he was turning away from her._

_She didn't want to walk up to him and comfort him because a lot of the time, he had that sharp look and a shark-like grin, like he knew the answers to everything in the world; and he most likely did just based on the Uchiha crest that was present on his sleeve this time. _

_He had everything, and here he was._

_Hinata didn't want to think too far into it _(didn't try, because it would shake the foundations of what she thought of him- this indestructible monster that would take her sister away in more ways than one, and feel no remorse).

_She padded up to him, taking the spot at his side and reached out to pat his back._

_He slapped her hand away and pushed her back. She shrieked; her hand throbbed from the contact and all she could do was recoil because she was right._

_He's mean…_

_He's evil…_

_I don't like him…_

"_You don't understand! You don't know anything! Don't think you do; I don't want your fucking pat on the back and your 'it's ok, things will get better'" and his voice pitched higher until it was unbearable, "because it's obvious that you don't care. You didn't know him like I did. I'm gonna kill those bastards. They're gonna beg for death when I'm done with them, because no one can just…"_

_And he stopped, because she was already curling into herself and closing her eyes and shaking her head, and perhaps, she was crying because she could taste salt on her lips._

_He was suddenly grabbing her hands and yanking it away from her face, steely cool and she could see the trace of tears rolling down his cheeks as well. "I'm sorry" he said, "I didn't mean to yell. Sorry." _

_She made an attempt to nod, head stiff; it was because he wasn't ok and she could understand that _(hell, any ninja could understand that) _and she proceeded to awkwardly pat his back and tell him everything was ok and that everything would get better anyway._

(She sometimes thinks that this all happened because she was convenient to cling on to. If her sister had been there, patting his shoulder – or telling him to get a grip, because that would be probably what she would have done – maybe Hanabi would still be with her, and they'd sit by the compound, and Hanabi would complain about how the company work and stress was making her hair thin out and grey, then Hinata would listen and give her a supportive smile and offer her tea.

(She doesn't think too much of this memory. It's locked in her mind because she won't let it be anything else) _And Sasuke clings onto her tighter._

(o)(O) Hidden Location – Present Day (O)(o)

Hinata's startled when Iruka comes in an hour later after packing the herbs up in storage.

There's this look on his face that is conflicted and pained, and he looks at her and says, "I sometimes don't understand people." His voice shakes as he says it, like he's conveying a deep message.

She doesn't know what to say before he adds, "Kakashi forgot to sell the last herbs and they're rotting in storage. Just. Rotting. Away" and he punctuates it and sits beside her.

She feels this sort of familial warmth in the almost pouty facial expression on his face, but his voice just seems a little off and his emphasis on his annoyance, a lot more profound.

It glimmers away when he says, "You need a remedy to help you sleep. It's the least I can do for your help. It's the best treatment for shock since your ordeal, that I have." And at least that part sounded earnest and sincere.

**Interlude I**

**With the Opposition**

Iruka doesn't like talking about his past. The matter of fact is that everyone has their sad story to share, and he'd rather he didn't. He grew up like any other ninja. He never had the talent to make it farther than chunin and would most likely have been shipped off as battle fodder to the opposition without a second glance from his superior; but he never did succumb to that bitterness.

He can admit though, that meeting Kakashi was both a curse and a blessing.

He considers that when he opens the door to his room and sees an expanse of harried black hair down a huddled frame, wide eyes and a sort of lost look that he remembered seeing in agents that had burned out. He recognizes those eyes though. Opal; a strange color, sort of cloudy, but unmistakenable.

He treats her like how he would to those children he used to take care off in that school he used to volunteer in when he wasn't studying to be a good ninja. He remembers that those children had put on tough faces and spoke with decency and did as they were told; like they were preserving themselves and thinking they could live that way.

He doesn't necessarily see it in her. There's a twist in her features like she's trying to find herself, but not quite reaching deep enough, and that's a delicate stage. She only asks 'how do you know Sasuke?' and 'sorry' but it tells him that he should reply with, "I don't, but he knows Kakashi, and I know Kakashi, therefore, I know him" and "there's really nothing to apologize for."

When he excuses himself to pack the herbs, he decides to stop by Kakashi's room to tell him never to surprise him with Sasuke's supposed wife – that much, he knew – curled up in his room, but he stops when he reaches the door because there's a soft murmur of voices on the other side, and he can hear the bored drawl in Kakashi's tone.

Not many people can tell the difference between Kakashi's different tones, but this one was a pissed off Kakashi tone. The other voice is Sasuke's. He can hear it in the confidence, but there's this taste of desperation that makes Iruka still. He knows that Sasuke is injured – he only ever comes when he's hurt or scheming and with his wife in the other room, it can only be the former one.

He hears Sasuke say, "…I don't see anything wrong with that. She'll come around eventually." It's sinuous and raspy.

Kakashi responds, "You could have died"

And there's this laugh and "But haven't you seen those movies where the princess is saved by the prince and falls in love with him?"

"Yes, those are fairytales. I doubt they correspond to this kind of life."

The dismissal. "Yeah, well I hope it scars a bit. Maybe the guilt will tie her to me. Wouldn't that be good?"

The tried drawl. "Well, don't pull that shit stunt again. Your attempt at emotionally scarring her might one day kill you, or her, really."

A laugh. "No promises. You're my protector. You deal with me and you owe my family that." Sasuke continues by switching the conversation, "So I heard you took in a little bird?"

"Iruka, you mean? He keeps me alive, I admit."

Iruka knows Kakashi can sense him, and Kakashi never has any self-preservation. He says what he wants when he wants – attractive, and equally as destructive – and Iruka knows he doesn't need to hear anymore. He picks up his bag as Kakashi begins to sing his phrases – Iruka knows he keeps their home and Kakashi himself running because he's not scarred enough to make things worse and Kakashi likes that about him – and goes to store the herbs.

When he returns, Hinata is sitting again, staring at a point at the wall. She probably doesn't know she does that a lot – like she's trying to dissect it and discover the answers, but he suddenly remembers the discussion Sasuke had had with Kakashi and he remembers the shaking in Hinata's hands and he feels sick for her.

She looks up when he enters, and it's that surprised look like 'Oh, you came back' and 'I didn't think it'd be you. Maybe Sasuke?' that makes him think that it's not fair for her to not know anything, but it's not his business and he won't fix anything if it'll break to the touch. He **can't **accept that responsibility. So, instead, he starts with,

"I sometimes don't understand people"

And

"…Just. Rotting. Away"

And

"You need a remedy…"

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><p>Sorry for the late chapter, so I made it extra long. To my reviewers. Thank you for taking the time to leave the reviews. They make me type faster than I usually am able to. Interludes will most likely have other viewpoints because I tried to stay true to the only Sakura and Hinata POV in the main story line (with the occasional slip. Sorry). Therefore, it makes sense that the interludes are sort of detached from the main story line.<p> 


	21. Interlude II and III

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Note: It's been a challenging month; the New Year has only brought me stress and some disappointment. I'm dealing with it though.

This chapter is short. Sorry. The next will be longer.

Note about Interlude III: It was supposed to come later, but I thought I might as well put it in now to limit the confusion the story gives (I know that's something I need to work on…and the spelling errors).

That said, thank you to reviewers, as always.

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><p><strong>Interlude II<strong>

**What I Do**

Tsunade's life is filled with lies, intricate ones that weave into each other and form a fabricated piece of space. She wonders how that works, but when she looks outside from the ANBU building into the bustling streets in the distance and the birds springing from trees, she thinks, 'life is going on and I'm missing every bit of it if I just sit here.' She also thinks, 'I'm a grown woman, I can't be questioning shit like this anymore. I have success, status and everything else I need to thrive in this world. I'm not going to wallow in self-pity and complain about being less fortunate.'

She knows she's right of course; she doesn't brag often, but her success speaks for itself. She runs the analyst institute and heads the ANBU corps more often than not. In times of crisis, people turn to her and ask for her advice; she's a genius. She's beautiful.

She's made mistakes.

She can tell when she finally is given the Attraction Effect USB. It's a harmless device upon first inspection; a small storage space and an almost ineffectual white casing around it that made it seem like the object a child would take with them to school to transfer information for a project.

But it's not just that.

It's Hinata's careful work, under the scrutiny of Orochimaru, of other countless agents who'd been hunting her.

It's a reminder of who Orochimaru was and Tsunade can spout out whatever she wants about Orochimaru, but deep down, she remembers who he once was. He had also been so powerful; intelligent. She'd seen him sometimes, a beacon of knowledge and he'd had the most interesting crooked smile, surrounded by like-minded people with pens and notebooks and everything that made him seem worlds away from lesser beings. She had had the pleasure of working with him once. A simple project really; ANBU protocol and tactics, back then when they were still trying to expand the strength of their agents and when the adjacent nations had been screaming 'war' at their fortress walls.

Orochimaru had proposed the theory of chakra, how it was so easily molded by ninjas and could be drawn out for such amazing feats in the form of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and certain forms of taijutsu. He had said it would benefit non-ninjas and expand their army and wasn't it just a great idea?

Tsunade likes to think she said no to those experiments.

And so do her closest advisors.

But there's always more to it. It's the key to power and it's all there, in Tsunade's hand, and her fingers are shaking when she plugs the device into her laptop.

How much is in here? (She's in denial; she knows exactly what's in there, but she also knows Sakura couldn't have read it all because her face would betray everything and the pillars of her morals would come crashing down.)

And the screen flickers and the laptop sparks then dies.

For a second, Tsunade is shocked and it's only after a few moments, she realizes what has occurred. 'It's a jutsu,' she thinks, 'to stop whoever who has a chakra signature from opening the file.' It's obvious who the USB was meant for (Sakura, of course).

This jutsu can only be taken off by the caster; Hinata.

It's her failsafe, Tsunade realizes numbly. There is one loophole in this jutsu, she analyzes, and it's as simple as getting someone with no chakra signature to open the file, but Tsunade applauds Hinata anyway.

She considers crushing the USB in her palm, effectively eliminating those regrets in her past, but it must be the inner guilt in her heart that eats up at her when she takes it and puts it into her desk.

This won't end well for her.

She thinks of those nights when Orochimaru would knock on her door, gesture her towards those isolated chambers, subjects quiet behind those interior walls, and she'd hide her eyes and close off her ears because she believed that there'd be progress.

And Orochimaru would always seem fascinated with the results, each failed, but his eyes would be bright and he'd be whispering, "how did they not accept the impulse? It was completely compatible with the nerve passageways…" and he'd mumble more words and shoo her away and say more research needed to be done; he just needed the funding from her.

She knew – knows – it's wrong, but it's her mistake, her humanity and it's terrible to think that way, but who says she's perfect?

It was war; they'd been at war; they were at war.

It had stopped eventually – the project that is – but it had been due to the increasing number of casualties and the lack of ideas on where to hide these failed experiments and how to keep them quiet, not their humanity calling.

So when Sakura enters much later, looking older and worn and saying, with such reverence in her eyes, "I'm sorry", Tsunade's already been expecting her for weeks - she's probably even said that aloud - and all she can say is,

"That takes a load off my mind Sakura."

Not really, though.

Tsunade is not Orochimaru.

She hushes up though, lets the USB sit in her desk, and knows someone will find it, and open it up and eventually they'll find out how she let those experiments slide, sat with the other big fat cats in the back and said it was all in the name of the protection of the people. Those in the experiments had been payed for the testing, so it wasn't her fault right?

Right?

It eats her up sometimes, but she's a ninja. She is strong and beautiful and people flock around her to hear her opinion. She runs the ANBU and the analyst institute.

Tsunade is not Orochimaru…but she's damn well close to it.

**Interlude III**

**Sweet Love'O Mine**

Sasuke wants Hinata; he wants to hold her right now. He wants to curl into her and breathe in tandem with her, until she stops fighting, until she stops squirming and saying no, because her eyes say, 'oh please, yes'.

"Sasuke, are you listening?" and Kakashi doesn't look impressed, but there's this resigned look on his face, like he expected it, and he adds with only a little bit of interest, "Should I bring your wife in?"

But Sasuke is patient. "Not yet. I'd prefer she comes to me"

"And she will" Kakashi finishes for him, calm and collected.

"Yup"

There's a moment where Kakashi's fists tighten reflexively, like he's entertaining the thought of something brutal, but he just adds, "Your mother and brother did a number on your mind didn't they? It's not you against the world Sasuke."

Sasuke smirks, amused, because, despite the resigned and bored looks the silver-headed man seemed to constantly sport, Sasuke likes him. It might easily have something to do with the fact that he's sworn in to always protect Sasuke.

The power of the Uchiha clan is always this stinging undertone in his skin, constantly buzzing with this need to conquer, to prove that he's something, to carve his own path, to make his clan proud, and most of all, to be content. And the Uchiha knows he has power, sees it in the reverent eyes from others and he knows they're looking at the tell tale features of his clan, the aristocratic gaze and the signature smirks.

Sometimes, he thinks he hears his mother, sitting him down, days after Itachi had tapped his nose and revealed to him what the sharingan could do; the possibilities. She had said, that sweet loving smile of hers always present, "_I'm not going to tell you what to do with that power, but I understand you'll do the clan good…and yourself some good too, because you're my precious baby" _and Sasuke had laughed, _"I get it mom" _and she had had held him so tightly, because she knew that there'd be a chance, someday, where she wouldn't see him again, maybe.

"…And I'll just head out" Kakashi finishes, and his gaze just says, 'I know you weren't listening to a thing I was saying.'

The door closes behind him and Sasuke looks at the roof, probably for a long time and he probably falls asleep at one point because Hinata's by his side suddenly and she looks much cleaner; though her cheeks are still gaunt and her gaze is still untrusting. It softens just the slightest when she looks at him.

"Are you alright?" she asks, and her hand reaches out to touch him, but retracts almost immediately. She seems surprised at her actions, like she'd just reached out to touch an open flame. Sasuke resists the urge to pull her hand back, to force her to cradle his cheek and smile like he was the only thing in her world.

"I'm alright" he rattles out, pitched perfectly so he sounds wheezy and drowsy, enough that her look softens a bit more – part ways guilt and something else that makes his heart rate speed up and his need to hold her down that much stronger – and she reaches out again.

Her hand is shaking only slightly, and it's clammy and cold when it finally reaches his forehead, as if she's checking for a fever, and he can feel how for a second, she probably thinks the situation is so awkward when she's not fighting him, and it looks like she's about to pull away, but he hums instead and asks feebly, "are you alright?" He doesn't have to pretend to look concerned, and something must have snapped in her because her other hand is clenching the blanket he's covered in and she whispers,

"Don't do that again." Softer now, "I can't…I won't be able to handle that if you try to pull a stunt like that. You can't alright?" and she looks like her world's been torn apart in her eyes and she has all the pieces, but she can't put them back together again like it was before. She can't lock her emotions in the back of her head anymore, she can't compartmentalize them again, because now, she'll be forced to realize that he's going to take hits for her, that her mistakes will cost her **his** life (he won't die, but he'll hurt himself willingly). That's the small part of her he knows so well, those shaky contradicting morals of hers that makes him want to have her in as many ways as he can.

He'll get her mind first, because he's already breaking her walls down; that persistent law ninjas uphold to show no emotion in battle and to detach themselves from the kill. He knows she's not good at that, that she probably relives those moments where she's fought and bled and made others bleed. He sees that telltale glint of insanity in her eyes, that piece that **all** of them hold, but hers so open and so bare that it must destroy her.

And he loves it. He loves those pieces of her, because she's never learned to hide them like her sister, like her father, like his brother, or anyone else in their small world.

He refrains from saying something sharp and true to her like, 'marry me' or 'I love you' and says instead, "Ok" and he closes his eyes a bit to feign tiredness, and she's already leaning towards him as if to make sure he won't die from it.

God, he loves it.

When all this is over – and he and Sai already have this plan formulated and the power to do so - he thinks he'll rebuild her.

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><p>I think I'm going to destroy my laptop. Files keep deleting themselves. I know, that with the long wait, people expected a chapter. I'm sorry, I'm typing it up right now, hopefully it'll be out next week. Other than the computer malfunction, I also had finals going on, exams and whatnot. I'll probably be a bit more active since the new semester has started and the homework flow isn't so insane just yet.<p>

Once again, thank you so much to the reviewers, and I promise more Sasuke/Hinata interaction in the next chapter, but these interludes (specifically the first one) were fairly important.


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